Record Store Day today announced the release of a new Cherry Ghost live album – Live at the Trades Club Hebden Bridge. The album will be released by Heavenly Recordings on Record Store Day, June 20th on 12″ double vinyl.

As the final act before their hiatus – coming after three critically praised albums in a decade – ‘Live at the Trades Club Hebden Bridge’ is Cherry Ghost performing an intimate, starkly arranged set at the 2015 Heavenly Weekender.Released now for the first time – on double vinyl and download – this is perhaps the best realised collection of songs from Cherry Ghost, the alias of the Ivor Novello award-winning songwriter Simon Aldred.The instrumentation – Aldred is joined on keyboards and light percussion by Christian Madden and Grenville Harrop – brings to the fore Aldred’s peerless songwriting, his oak-aged, prematurely wisened baritone.’History’ wrote the Quietus in 2014, ‘will be kind to Aldred’, and this collection proves exactly that – with a bit of time and distance, the songs presented here show a highly singular, highly accomplished songwriter, aspiring to the pop classicism of Glen Campbell or Bill Callahan.All of human life is here – tracking a drizzly Northern gothic of last bus loneliness, late-night Spars, solitary drinkers, factory floors and Gods that betray.And yet, there’s more than meets the eye.There’s magnetic renderings of his best known songs – ‘4AM’, ‘People Help the People’, the soaring ‘Mathematics’ – but surprises reveal themselves.’All I Want’ and ‘Herd Runners’ candidly examine Aldred’s sexuality, whilst the seldom heard b-side ‘Bad Crowd’ reveals Aldred to be a much funnier songwriter than remembered.What runs right through Aldred’s work, however, is a yearning – a much tested faith in romance – so no wonder that the album ends on its most optimistic notes, at the darkest point of winter nestled in the West Yorkshire valleys, promising clear skies ever closer.

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1. Drinking For Two
2. Herd Runners
3. 4am
4. Fragile Reign
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5. Sacramento
6. Thirst For Romance
7. My God Betrays
8. Throw Me To The Dogs
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9. All I Want
10. False Alarm
11. Bad Crowd
12. Please Come Home
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13. Mathematics
14. Four Eyes
15. People Help The People
16. Clear Skies Ever Closer

Also released on Record Store Day on vinyl for the first time, 10 years after its release – Beneath This Burning Shoreline also on Heavenly Recordings.

This will be first time the record is released on vinyl.”I thought, if I don’t state my case now I’ll never get that opportunity again.” ‘Beneath This Burning Shorelines’, released in 2010, was the second album from Cherry Ghost – the project of Ivor Novello winning songwriter Simon Aldred.Released on vinyl for the first time, ten years after its release, it stands as Aldred’s bona fide masterpiece – not least by the songwriter himself. Following the chart success of Cherry Ghost’s debut ‘Thirst For Romance’, Aldred felt disillusioned with touring an album he viewed to be stylistically “schizophrenic.” Whilst proud of the songs on that record, he had visions of something more cohesive, more mood-based – where ideas re-occur, images are fragmented and songs bleed into one another.Similarly, he’d been returning heavily to artists like Sparklehorse and Wilco.After nearly a decade on the dole, once Cherry Ghost brought Aldred financial stability the first thing he did was travel Europe – the album is galvanised by these solo rail journeys through cities like Berlin and Rome.Like Scott Walker’s late 60s work, it’s a romantic vision of a Europe filtered through the lens of an outsider.Atmospherics, too, would be crucial – Aldred had been listening to film soundtracks, and songs here are linked by unmoored instrumental passages. ‘Beneath This Burning Shoreline’ is overwhelmingly in a minor key, and choruses are few – ‘Kissing Strangers’, however, is the album’s only anthemic moment.”That references my days a young gay man” says Aldred, “staggering between bars but yearning for something more.” The album’s most powerful moment is the haunting ‘My God Betrays’ – “it is” he explains, “a completely bleak portrait.” Inspired by the writings of Albert Camus, the song is an anti-hymn to a malevolent God, a prayer to a Lord who plays to the crowds and turns on the weak.’People Help the People It is Not’.There is, however, some redemption – the chiming ‘Black Fang’ is one of the most successfully realized love songs in Aldred’s back catalogue.A decade on, it remains Aldred’s proudest work – “It’s the one I always go back to, to remind myself what I get out of music.”

For more information on Record Store Day, visit the RSD website.

Thanks to everyone who bought the track over the past week. Your generosity has helped to raise much needed funds for Lifeshare who do such important work, not just at Christmas, but all year round.

Visit the Lifeshare website

Blue Christmas – the first track from Cherry Ghost in 5 years. Cutting into the rotten core of politics whilst marking the festive season. Simon Aldred transformed a would-be, fireside Christmas classic into a caustic commentary on the poverty-enabling, truth-distorting and minority-weakening election campaign and its shock outcome – writing it 24 hours before the result was announced.

Follow Cherry Ghost on social media: Twitter / Instagram / Facebook

Heavenly Recordings are celebrating their 30 year anniversary next April with a weekend of live music at the Trades Club in Hebden Bridge. As in 2015, Cherry Ghost will be there next year with a gig on the evening of Saturday April 18th 2020.

This will be Cherry Ghost’s first gig in five years. “I don’t really play live gigs any more,” says Simon Aldred. “But this is the perfect occasion to make an exception because it’s such a wonderful venue and for a label I have nothing but love for.”

Tickets for the gig are now sold out.

A fans group has been set up over at facebook. All are welcome to discuss all things Cherry Ghost.

Click here to join the group.

Cherry Ghost made a welcome live return at the BBC studios in Salford this evening. Simon along with Christian Madden performed three tracks live on Marc Riley’s 6 music show.

If you missed it, fear not you can play it back again via the BBC iPlayer here. It starts at about 20 minutes in.

Cherry Ghost are proud to play a one-off concert in support of Gracie’s Fund at Band on the Wall in Manchester on Sunday February 7th. 

Gracie is 4 years old and for the 2nd time is battling AT/RT which is a rare type of brain tumour. 

Please join us on the night to help support Gracie & her family. 

Find out more here: https://www.gofundme.com/boxing4gracie

Tickets are on sale now at the venue website

Sunday saw Cherry Ghost play a matinee show at the Hebden Bridge Trades club as part of Heavenly Recordings 25th birthday celebrations.

Clash Music reviewed the weekend with a special mention for Cherry Ghost’s Sunday performance.

Gourmet gigs also reviewed the magical show, read the review here.

For the very latest on what Simon is up to, follow him on twitter.

We’re delighted to announce Cherry Ghost will play a couple Christmas shows in Manchester & Liverpool. Tickets for both shows are on sale now.

December 21st: Manchester Band on the Wall Buy Tickets

December 22nd Liverpool Kazimier Buy Tickets

Cherry Ghost are pleased to announce that they’re playing the Clitheroe Grand, Lancashire on Friday Dec 5th.

Tickets priced £14 plus fees are on sale now, available here.