Two years on from the mesmericNell’ Ora Blu, their synth-laden soundtrack for an imaginary Giallo movie, orphic Cambridge heaviesUNCLEACIDAND THE DEADBEATSreturn with their seventh full-length,Shapes Of Midnight. To celebrate the announcement, the band have unveiled the title track from the album. Listen and purchase from Bandcamphereand watch the artwork videohere.
A brilliantly macabre concept album partly inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’sThe Masque Of The Red Deathand the too-real nightmares of our modern age,Shapes Of Midnightrefines the group’s ‘Evil Beatles’ sound: a thrilling, expertly composed fusion of eerie harmonies, pop hooks, Thin Lizzy-esque twin-guitar brilliance and the kind of fleet-footed heaviness that’s become their trademark.
Shapes Of Midnightwas tracked atAbbey Road Studios– live to analogue tape, natch – in a blessed three-day blitz in the company of storied engineerChris Bolster, whose previous clients includePhil Spector,Ozzy OsbourneandPaul McCartney. The band employed era-appropriate tech, from antique Neumann mics once breathed upon by the Fabs and the Floyd, to consoles and compressors from the peak era of recorded sound. The mastering, meanwhile, was completed by Grammy-nominated engineerNoel Summerville(The White Stripes,The Clash,My Bloody Valentine).
The album marks a return to the guitar-forward attack of their earlier records, but also an evolution. Their blessed invocation of proto-metal heaviness is gilded by blasts of uncanny melancholic pop, bruising NWOBHM gallop, jazzy textures and complexities, and Krautrock-y cro-magnon synth damage. It’s a deliciously dark listen, for sure; as songwriterKevin Starrssays,“our albums exist in an alternate universe to our own. They’re all stories that could happen here, but everything’s just a bit ‘off’.”
UNCLEACIDAND THE DEADBEATSspent their summer laying waste to festivals such asSweden Rock,HellfestandGraspopand will tour North America, the UK and Australia/New Zealand later this year. Further dates across Europe for next year to be announced soon. Find more informationhere.
UNCLEACIDAND THE DEADBEATS
2026 UK TOUR DATES
19/11 – KK’s Steel Mill, Wolverhampton
20/11 – New Century Hall, Manchester
21/11 – The Garage, Glasgow
22/11 – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
24/11 – Trinity, Bristol
25/11 – Engine Rooms, Southampton
27/11 – Concorde 2, Brighton
28/11 – The Adrian Flux Waterfront, Norwich
29/11 – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham