STEVE APPEARS ON TV'S LATE LATE SHOW
Sep 2nd

Steve Wickham will be appearing on Irish television's The Late Late Show, shown on RTE1 at 9.30pm this Friday, Sept 3rd. Steve will be playing a number from his new solo album "Geronimo". Steve's band will include his brother Henry Wickham, bodhran player Junior Davey, Waterboys piano player Richard Naiff and additional fiddlers Ray Coen & Austin McManus.

STEVE WICKHAM ALBUM "GERONIMO" OUT AUGUST 20th - PLUS HIS TOUR DATES
Aug 7th

We can now confirm Steve Wickham's solo album "Geronimo" was released in Ireland on Steve's label Ramblin Records (distributed by RMG) on 20th August. Copies will be available from that date on-line from Claddagh Records at : www.claddaghrecords.com.

The album is named after Steve's fiddle.

The full tracklist is :

The album was produced by Steve, who plays many instruments on the twelve tracks as well as his trademark fiddle. Other players include : Waterboy Richard Naiff, Gavin 'Fingers' Ralston (who played in Mike Scott's band in 1997), Aogan Lynch, Lloyd Byrne, Junior Davey, Anna Heuston and Dierdre Byron Smith. The music was recorded in London, Sligo and Wicklow.

Steve also plays the following Irish shows this Summer, all except the first show are with his brother, songwriter, singer and guitarist Henry Wickham.

AUTUMN TOUR - FIRST DETAILS
May 28th

Autumn will see the Waterboys on tour again! Starting in September Mike, Richard and Steve will bring their successful three piece acoustic show to audiences in Sweden, the Netherlands, Britain and Ireland. The shows will be in two parts with an intermission. Dates are listed below. A few more venues will be added to the schedule, and we will let you know as soon as we receive confirmation.

SHOW IN BONN, GERMANY ON 6^th JUNE May 28th

The Waterboys will play their only German show this spring at the Museumsplatz in Bonn (Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 2-4, 53113 Bonn) on June 6th. This will be an acoustic three-piece show featuring Mike, Steve & Richard, and the band's scheduled onstage time is 6:00 pm, so don't be late! Also on the bill are Bob Geldof and The Hooters.

Tickets are available from 0800-175 275 0 (only from inside Germany) or from www.bonnticket.de - Tickets cost 41,75 EUR (incl. fees).

STEVE'S EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
May 19th

Steve will be playing fiddle with the Sligo Early Music Ensemble and Amaryllis Singers at Markree Castle, Colooney, County Sligo at 8pm, Sunday 23rd May. Tickets will be available at the Castle. The programme of music is : Handel's 'Acis and Galatea' and Vivialdi's Flute Concerto OP44 no. 11 and Cello Concerto in Dmajor.

SHOW IN KILLARNEY, IRELAND, AUGUST 28th
May 19th

The band play a special acoustic show on 28th August 2004 at the National Event Centre, Killarney, Co Kerry, Ireland. Tickets are avilable from the Box Office at + (00) 353 6471555, priced : Euros 27.50 or from the NEC website : www.inec.ie

EXTRA FINDHORN SHOW ADDED
May 12th

A third show has been added at Universal Hall, Findhorn, Scotland on Monday June 21st. Tickets are on sale NOW from the Phoenix Box Office,(44) 1309 690954. Box office hours are 9.30am - 2pm Monday to Friday.

A MIDSUMMER’S EVE STRAMASH IN FINDHORN
May 3rd

The Waterboys will play two acoustic shows at Universal Hall, Findhorn, Scotland under the splendid title "A Midsummer's Eve Stramash" on Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th June. Both shows will be in two parts with an intermission, and will begin at 8pm. Tickets go on sale at 9.30am, Monday 10th May from the Phoenix Stores Box Office, (44) 1309 690954. The box office hours are 9.30am - 2pm Monday to Friday. Early booking is recommended as last Summer’s Waterboys Findhorn concerts sold out very quickly.

MIKE AND RICHARD PLAY IN FINDHORN WITH DAVID & JULIE SPANGLER
April 19

Mike and Richard played two half-hour sets on Friday & Saturday, 16 and 17 April at Universal Hall, Findhorn, with American spiritual author David Spangler and his wife Julie, both former singers with the New Troubadours, the Findhorn musical group of the 1970s. The first set was the finale of the Findhorn Foundation's 'Spirit of Healing' Conference, and the second was a performance for the Community. The collaboration was suggested by English holistic author William Bloom. Both shows featured several Troubadours numbers plus "Bring 'Em All In" and a new, as yet untitled, song written by David and Mike, and sung by Mike, which we can expect to hear at future Waterboys shows. For more information about David's writings and work visit : www.lorian.org

While in the UK, David will be giving talks at Friends Meeting House, St Giles, Oxford on Tuesday 20th April at 7pm and at Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Rd, London NW1, 7pm. Admission is £10, or £5 (unwaged, students, seniors etc).

STEVE'S SOLO SPOT
Mar 1st 2004

On Sunday evening 7th March Steve Wickham will play a short set of songs and tunes as part of the "Celebration of Creativity" at the Focus Theatre, 6 Pembroke Place, off Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin. This is a night of cabaret with several guests, including Ronnie Drew. The evening begins at 7.30 pm. Tickets are £10 and may be obtained from the Box Office, telephone Dublin 676 3071.

LONDON SHOWS IN EARLY APRIL
Feb 26th 2004

Mike, Steve and Richard will perform two shows at the UCL Bloomsbury Theatre, London, England on Sunday 4th and Monday 5th of April. Tickets, price £28.50, go on sale from Friday 17th Feb from the Box Office, 0207 388 8822, and online from : www.thebloomsbury.com

On both nights they will play two sets with a short intermission. There will be no support act and the concert will begin around 8pm.

ITALIAN ACOUSTIC TOUR CONFIRMED FOR MARCH
Feb 9th 2004

Mike, Steve and Richard will follow their current successful and
rave-reviewed European acoustic tour with seven shows in Italy. This will be the first full Italian Waterboys tour since 1989, and says Mike : "It will be a great one. I remember how passionate the Italian audience is. Tell them we're on fire and on our way." Tickets for all shows are available now from : www.ticketone.it

ABERDEEN HOGMANAY CONCERT CANCELLATION
Jan 2nd 2004

The Waterboys' hogmanay show at Castlegate, Aberdeen, Scotland was cancelled by the Health & Safety Department because of bad weather, when wind and rain started to hit around teatime. Our commiserations go to those fans who travelled to Aberdeen for the show. We hope you still managed to have a good night. The Waterboys and all of us at this website wish Waterpeople everywhere a very happy, peaceful and creative 2004.

WATERBOYS EUROPEAN TOUR DATES FOR JAN-FEB 2004
Dec 26TH 2003

Mike, Steve and Richard will be playing shows at the following venues. All shows are acoustic-based and will feature two sets with intermission, so come early! Further dates will be announced soon in Germany, Spain, Portugal and Italy, starting in March.

Please Note: All Shows In Holland : Tickets available at: 0900-3001250, and at Larger Post Offices, GWK Offices and VVV offices.

STEVE MISSES AMERICAN TOUR
Dec 3rd 2003

Steve Wickham will miss the Waterboys' American tour starting today in Annapolis, because he has had to go into hospital for an unexpected operation. It is not dangerous but it means he cannot travel for a few weeks and so Mike and Richard, rather than cancelling the tour, will be playing the concerts as a two-piece. Said Mike : "We wish Steve a safe operation, and a speedy return to the concert stage. Rich and I will be playing as a two-man band - which we've done a few times before and it will be great. We will be changing the set and using the circumstance in which we find ourselves as a creative spur." Steve will be back for the New Year's Eve show in Aberdeen and all concerts after that.

'THIS IS THE SEA' REMASTERING PROJECT LATEST
Dec 3rd 2003

Mike remastered the classic album "This Is The Sea" with Chris Blair at Abbey Road in late November and EMI/Chrysalis are scheduling release for Spring 2004. We can confirm it will definitely be a 2-CD set with the second disc containing over an hour of "This Is The Sea" era music that has never been on CD before, 50 minutes of it never released. Titles include "Towers Open Fire", "The Waves", "Beverly Penn", a different 1985 studio cover of Van Morrison's "Sweet Thing" and 10 others. More details will be announced soon.

STEVE PLAYS SLIGO BENEFIT CONCERT - NOVEMBER 28TH
Nov 19th 2003

Steve Wickham will be appearing with the band Cadenza at the first of two benefit concerts to be held at Southern Hotel, Sligo, Ireland on Friday 28th and Saturday 29th November. Cadenza, whose new album Steve has recently produced, will perform early in the evening of the 28th, soon after the 8.30pm start. The concerts, organised by the Sligo band Dervish are a benefit for the family of their roadie Finn Corrigan, who died last year. Other acts playing include The Sawdoctors on the 28th, and Kila and Dervish on the 29th.

Tickets are available online from : www.ticketmaster.ie
or directly from Star Records, Sligo, The Sligo Southern Hotel or these Sligo pubs : Shoot the Crows, Furey's Sheela-Na-Gig.

AMERICAN TOUR - CONCERT DATE CHANGE
11th/12th December 2003
Nov 18th 2003

As you may have noticed there has been some confusion over the date of our concert at Pantages Theatre in St. Paul MN, USA in December. This date was scheduled for Thursday December 11th but tickets mistakenly went on sale via Ticketmaster and Pantages Theatre for Friday December 12th. This was beyond the control of The Waterboys management and representatives, but because so many tickets have now been sold with this date on them, we have decided to keep to this date, rather than risk further confusion.

Anyone who already has a ticket can therefore be certain that the date of Friday 12th, which is printed on the ticket, is CORRECT and anyone contemplating buying a ticket should kindly note that the date has change from Thursday 11th Dec to Friday 12th Dec.

We apologise for any inconvenience and hope you enjoy the show.

USA "UNIVERSAL HALL" ACOUSTIC TOUR DATES CONFIRMED
Nov 3rd 2003

The band play the following acoustic shows across the USA in December. All shows will be divided into 2 sets except Woodstock which will be a single set. The shows will feature Mike Scott (guitar/vocals), Steve Wickham (fiddle) and Richard Naiff (piano). Box office details follow each venue name below. Tickets for the shows on December 4,5 and 7 are also available from www.ticketmaster.com.

NEW YEAR'S EVE SHOW CONFIRMED FOR ABERDEEN
Nov 3rd 2003

The band revive their tradition of playing Hogmanay shows with a 60 minute 5-piece set outdoors at Castlegate, Aberdeen, Scotland with Mike, Steve, Richard, Carlos Hercules and Steve Walters playing. Admission is free, and The Waterboys will play from 10.30-11.30 approximately. Other acts performing are The Peatbog Fairies and Union Avenue. Previous Waterboys Hogmanay shows were Dublin (1988), Glasgow (1989) and Galway (1990).

IRISH TV PERFORMANCE ON FRIDAY 17th
Oct 15th 2003

The Waterboys, currently midway through their successful UK and Irish tour, will play two songs with full band on the Eamon Dunphy Show, on Irish TV3 at 9pm on Friday 17th October.

EUROPEAN DATES
Oct 14th 2003

The following European Waterboys dates have been announced. The rest of the band's European Tour will take place in the New Year and will include further dates in Holland, Germany and Norway as well as shows in Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Italy. Dates will be announced soon.

NEW BAND MEMBERS FOR AUTUMN TOURS
Sep 30th 2003

The Waterboys have recruited two new members for their Autumn tours. Recent drummer Geoff Dugmore has left the band to pursue another musical job, and bassist Brad Waissman has also left though he is likely to play again with the band on future projects. The two new players are drummer Carlos Hercules and bassist Steve Walters who are currently rehearsing with the band in London. Said Richard Naiff : "Carlos and Steve play brilliantly together and are a great engine for the band". Their first show is at Cardiff on Wednesday night, October 1st.

MIKE'S CADUCEUS INTERVIEW ONLINE
Sep 20th 2003

Mike's recent interview with British holistic magazine Caduceus is available online at :
www.caduceus.info/currentissue.htm

ADDITIONAL SHOWS FOR UK TOUR
Sep 17th 2003

The following shows have been added to the band's October tour of the UK and Ireland :

Tickets for both shows are available now.

SINGLE DELAYED PENDING RE-RECORDING
Sep 10th 2003

The upcoming UK single of "Always Dancing, Never Getting Tired" has been delayed as Mike and Waterboys manager Philip Tennant have decided the band should re-record it in November, after not being satisfied with the version cut in August. Apparently it was "close but not right".

BFBS RADIO BROADCAST
Aug 30th 2003

The interview and 4 session songs from August 1st will be on "At The Edge" this Sunday 5-7pm on BFBS Radio 1 worldwide and streamed on the net. Last week 4 of the songs were featured in a Waterboys Seesion special. This week they are in with the 2-part interview (2 songs with each part - one at the beginning, one at the end) in hr 1 & hr 2 of the show. It's the exclusive first play of 'Saints & Angels' which was not featured last week or earlier in August.

DATE	SHOW	DETAILS
Sunday August 31	BFBS Radio 1 - 'At The Edge' 5-7pm CET	1 live acoustic song and an Interview. www.bfbs.com.

OBAN FM RADIO BROADCAST
Aug 22nd 2003

Oban FM, a Radio station in the north west of Scotland, are going to broadcast some songs from the Easdale Island Piano Benefit show that we did on July 20th. The show featured Mike, Steve & Richard. Oban FM does not have any internet streaming. Here is the info on the Radio Station:

Oban FM - 103.3 MHz. The programme is called Gordon's Grooves and is on every wednesday between 9pm and 11pm. Gordon plans to Broadcast the songs on either Wednesday 20th or 27th of August at approx 10pm.

OCTOBER TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED
Aug 11th 2003

The band's October Tour of the UK and Ireland has now been finalised and we present the dates and box office numbers below. The shows will be in two parts, acoustic and full-band, like the recent UK June tour dates. A few more shows are likely to be added. European dates are currently being booked for November, and North American for December, and will be announced soon.

BFBS RADIO SESSION
Aug 10th 2003

Mike and Steve recently recorded a live acoustic session and Interview for the British Forces Broadcasting Service. The session was recorded in Germany, and will be networked around the world and streamed on the web. The broadcast times are as follows.

THIS IS THE SEA RE-MASTERED
Aug 7th 2003

This project is going ahead but will now be released by EMI in the first quarter of 2004. The re-issue will be a two-CD set, comprising a remastered version of the original album and an extra CD of unreleased songs, instrumentals and alternative versions.

JANUARY ACOUSTIC TOUR
JULY 31st 2003

Mike, Steve and Richard will be playing the following series of acoustic shows in the New Year. Further dates will be added soon and we understand these will be in Holland and Norway.

GALWAY CONCERT FOOTAGE ON IRISH TV
JULY 31st 2003

Film of the band playing at Galway's Radisson Hotel as part of their 'Tour of Galway' last weekend will be shown on the following Irish TV shows:

There is also a big feature and interview with The Waterboys in this week's edition of the Irish music journal Hot Press out today (Thursday 31st)

UNIVERSAL HALL - NORTH AMERICAN RELEASE, SEPT 9th
JULY 23rd 2003

Universal Hall will be released in the USA and Canada on September 9th by Minty Fresh, the company run by Mike's friend Jim Powers, immortalised in the 1993 Waterboys song "Mister Powers". Jim comments : "I've long been inspired by Mike Scott's songs and his quest to create passionate art that can be as universal in message as it is personal in experience. We are thrilled to be a part of sharing this music by releasing Universal Hall in North America, a profoundly beautiful record."

GERMAN ACOUSTIC SHOW - AUGUST 1st
JULY 23rd 2003

Mike, Steve and Richard play a special 3-man show at Stadtgarten in Cologne, Germany on Friday August 1st at 8pm. Tickets are available now from www.stadtgarten.de

CARDIFF FESTIVAL - AUGUST 3rd
JULY 23rd 2003

The Waterboys headline the Big Weekend Festival at the City Hall Lawns, Cardiff, Wales on Sunday August 3rd. The band will be onstage at 9.15pm. Admission is free. Other acts playing include The Bluetones, The Proclaimers, La Bothine Souriante and King Pleasure & The Biscuit Boys. Festival website: www.cardiff-festival.com

STORNOWAY SHOW BIGGEST EVER IN THE WESTERN ISLES
JULY 23rd 2003

We've heard that the Waterboys concert at the Hebridean Celtic Festival in Stornoway, Isle of Lewis last Friday (July 18th) was the biggest ever concert in the Western Isles of Scotland, with a capacity audience in the Festival Tent of around 3,400. By contrast the band's acoustic show two days later at Eilean Easdale Hall - also a sell out - was for 137 people !

WATERBOYS TOURS OCTOBER 2003 - MARCH 2004
JULY 23rd 2003

The band's Autumn tour of UK, Ireland and continental Europe is currently being finalised. Dates will run from early October to mid November. The band will tour North America in the first half of December (dates to be announced soon). And two further series of European shows will follow in early 2004; the first of these being a three-piece acoustic tour of Holland, Belgium and Norway in January/February featuring Mike, Steve and Richard; the second being another full-band tour of Continental Europe scheduled for February/March. The first confirmed shows are now on sale and are listed below. More dates will be announced shortly.

EXTRA SHOW FOR WATERBOYS TOUR OF GALWAY
July 9 2003

The band have added a three piece acoustic matinee show at 1pm on Friday July 25th, at the Town Hall Theatre, Galway. This is an addition to the sold out shows at Roisin Dubh (now 9pm, Friday 25th), Radisson Hotel (8pm, Saturday 26th), and Druid Theatre (8pm, Sunday 27th), and Richard Naiff's free organ recital at St. Nicholas Church (1pm, Saturday 26th)

Tickets for the Town Hall Theatre show are available from the Festival Box Office :
telephone (+353) 91 566 577 - or online from www.galwayartsfestival.ie
Tickets for the other shows sold out immediately so we recommend you book fast.

UPCOMING TV & RADIO BROADCASTS
July 9 2003

Coulter And Co, Irish TV : RTE1, Friday 11 July, 9.30-10.30pm BST : 3 songs featuring the whole band

Jonathan Ross Show, BBC Radio 2 (88-91 FM and online at www.bbc.co.uk/radio2), Saturday 12th July, 10am-1pm BST : acoustic session featuring Mike, Steve & Richard

In Concert with The Waterboys, BBC Radio Wales (93-96 & 104 FM and 882 & 657 AM and online at http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/radiowales/), Saturday 12 July, 6.30-7.30pm BST : one hour from the band's June concert in Wrexham

ACOUSTIC SHOW ON SCOTTISH ISLAND OF EASDALE, JULY 20
JULY 1st 2003

Mike, Steve and Richard will play a special show at Eilean Eisdeal Hall, Easdale Island, Scotland on Sunday July 20th. The concert is a benefit to raise funds to buy a piano for Eilean Easdale Hall and is being organised by former Waterboy Colin Blakey who lives on Easdale and is expected to join the band for several numbers. Easdale is on the west coast of Scotland close to Oban which has a railway station and can also be reached by road from Glasgow.

Tickets are available from Geoff Heslop, tel : (+44) 1852 300 113 or email : geoff@easdale.org Doors open at 7.30. There will be a support act. Mike, Steve and Richard will play a regular length set of between 75/90 minutes. Eilean Easdale Hall is a small theatre so tickets are limited - if you wish to come, you are advised to book early.

For directions to Easdale, visit www.mouthpiecemusic.com/contact/index.htm and scroll down to find map.

MIKE'S GLASTONBURY DAILY INTERVIEW
JULY 1st 2003

Mike gave a short question-and-answer interview by email to Q Magazine's "Glastonbury Daily" which was published during the recent Festival. Unfortunately the magazine substantially altered several of Mike's answers. We publish the correct interview here.

THE WATERBOYS TOUR OF GALWAY
JUNE 21st 2003

The Waterboys will play a short tour of Galway in conjunction with the Galway Arts Festival this year. The dates are:

- Friday 25 July Roisin Dubh
- Saturday 26 July Radisson Hotel
- Sunday 27 July Druid Theatre

All shows at 8.00PM. The Galway Festival Box Office is open from June 23rd and the telephone number is: +353 91 566 577. Booking before this date can be done online at: www.galwayartsfestival.ie

Richard Naiff will also be doing an Organ Recital at St. Nicholas Church in Galway on Saturday 26th July at 1.00PM.

OPEN AIR SHOW IN ANTWERP
JUNE 21th 2003

The Waterboys will be playing a special open-air show in Antwerp on Saturday August 9th at Rivierenhoff 2003 Turnhoutsebaan 232 - B-2140 Deurne Antwerp. The Box office telephone number is: +32-3-202 46 11. Press '1' for tickets. The online booking address is: www.ticketantwerpen.be

The band will be onstage at 9.30 PM and supported by Ron Sexsmith at 8.00 PM.

UNIVERSAL HALL
JUNE 11th 2003

To accompany the release of "Universal Hall", we have added a new section on our site where you can read a very informative interview with Mike discussing the sounds, writing style, musicianship and content of the album; the text of the album lyrics; and an article providing background information on the remarkable structure of Universal Hall itself, written by Findhorn resident Liza Hollingshead. To visit, click here

ACOUSTIC RADIO SESSIONS IN JUNE
JUNE 4th 2003

To co-incide with the release of "Universal Hall", the band have a series of British and Irish radio broadcasts scheduled, all featuring exclusive live acoustic performances of songs from the album. Watch out also for live acoustic sessions featuring Mike & Steve this week on radio in Holland and Belgium, where they will be doing interviews.

Rattlebag, RTE1 (Radio), Ireland (89.1 FM) - Fri 6th June between 2.45-3.30pm : interview and session of 3 acoustic tracks by Mike, Steve & Richard
Online at : www.rte.ie/radio

Pet Sounds, Today FM, Ireland (100-102 FM) - Mon 9th June between 7-10pm: interview and session of 4/5 acoustic tracks by Mike & Steve
Online at : www.todayfm.com/live.html

Dave Fanning Show, RTE Radio 2 , Ireland (90-92 FM) - Interview and session of 3 acoustic songs by Mike & Steve to be broadcast in first half of June
Online at : www.rte.ie/radio

Billy Sloan Show, Radio Clyde, Scotland (102.5 FM) - Sun June 8, 8.30-9.30pm : live interview and acoustic session of 6 songs featuring Mike, Steve & Richard
Online at : www.clyde1.com

The Johnnie Walker Show, BBC Radio Two, UK (88-91 FM) - Tues June 10, 5-7pm : live acoustic session featuring Mike, Steve & Richard
Online at : www.bbc.co.uk/radio2

Tom Morton /Ian Anderson Show, BBC Radio Scotland (92-95 FM & 810 MW) - Mon June 23, 2-4pm : live acoustic session featuring Mike, Steve & Richard Online at : www.bbc.co.uk/radioscotland

PRESSWATCH
JUNE 4th 2003

Look out for Waterboys features and interviews with Mike in the following publications : Uncut, Word, Scottish Sunday Herald, Caduceus, Manchester Evening News (UK), Foggy Notions, Irish Examiner, Dublin Event Guide (Ireland)

ROSS-ON-WYE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
MAY 17th 2003

We are pleased to confirm The Waterboys will be playing a full scale show at Britain's Ross-on-Wye International Festival on the Thursday August 14th. The show is at Riverside Marquee and The Waterboys are on stage at 10pm. Tickets go on sale 27th May from the box office : +44 (0)1989 562562 Festival website: www.rossonwye-intfestival.co.uk

'UNIVERSAL HALL" EIRE RELEASE DATE & TV APPEARANCE
MAY 17th 2003

"Universal Hall" will be released on May 30th in Eire - a week ahead of the rest of Europe - and the band will appear on RTE TV's Late Late Show performing "This Light Is For The World" the same day.

TWO SHOWS AT GLASTONBURY 2003
MAY 7th 2003

We are pleased to announce The Waterboys will be playing Britain's Glastonbury Festival again this year. However, this time they will be playing not one but two shows !

The first is in the Acoustic Tent at 7.30 pm, Saturday 28th June. The second is on the Pyramid Stage at 1.00pm Sunday 29th June. The two performances will reflect the band's current live show with Saturday's performance being a (mostly) acoustic set and Sunday's being a full scale electric performance.

Asked how he felt about playing 2 shows, Mike Scott said "It's great to get to play twice - what a challenge ! And with two shows we'll be catching up Van the Man and Costello as the "most-times-played-at-Glastonbury" champions."

WATERBOYS FINDHORN SHOWS JUNE 22 ANNOUNCED
APRIL 20th 2003

The band play two separate shows at Universal Hall, Findhorn, Scotland on Sunday June 22nd, at 6pm and 9.30pm. These will be full 5-piece ensemble performances. Tickets are £15 and go on sale Monday April 28th at 9am. The Box Office is open 9am - 2pm, Monday-Friday, telephone (44) 1309 690954. For travel/accomodation information click here.

WATERBOYS "UNIVERSAL HALL" ALBUM - full details plus UK TOUR DATES
MARCH 29th 2003

The Waterboys album Universal Hall will be released on their new label, the splendidly named Puck Records, on Monday 9th June. North American release will follow in the Autumn.

Universal Hall was produced by Mike Scott and contains 12 songs containing pop, acoustic and minimalist elements. Mike describes the album as "full of love and fire, with a bright, elemental sound". Two songs, "Universal Hall" and "The Christ In You" have already been performed in concert and the opening track "This Light Is For The World" was recently played live by the band on BBC's This Is Dom Joly (for broadcast in June).

Universal Hall celebrates the return of Waterboys fiddler Steve Wickham, who contributes mercurial description-defying fiddle to the new songs. Other musicians include piano player/flautist Richard Naiff while Mike Scott complements his usual guitar and keyboards with a variety of unusual sounding instruments including earth resonator, harmonium, micro-synth and tambron.

The album was recorded in 5 weeks in January and February 2003 at the basement studio beneath Universal Hall, the remarkable building pictured on the album cover and situated at the Findhorn Community in Scotland.

The full track listing is:

1. This Light Is For The World
2. The Christ in You
3. Silent Fellowship
4. Every Breath Is Yours
5. Peace Of Iona
6. Ain't No Words For The Things I'm Feeling
7. Seek The Light
8. I've Lived Here Before
9. Always Dancing, Never Getting Tired
10. The Dance At The Crossroads
11. E.B.O.L.
12. Universal Hall

The Waterboys will tour Britain in June. Each show will comprise an acoustic first half and full ensemble electric second half, with a short intermission. There will be no support act. Scottish shows will be announced soon. Tour dates and box-office numbers are as follows :

June 13th : Brighton Dome Concert Theatre
Box Office: 01273 709 709 - 24 Hour Hotline: 0870 735 5000
Ticket Price: £18.50 www.bookingsdirect.com

June 14th: Birmingham Symphony Hall
Box Office: 0121 780 3333 Ticket price: £18.50

June 15th: London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Box Office: 0207 494 5061- 24 Hour Hotline: 0870 735 5000
Ticket Price: £20.00 www.bookingsdirect.com

June 17th: Manchester Bridgewater Hall
Box Office: 0161 907 9000
Ticket price: £18.50 & £16.50

June 18th: Bristol Colston Hall
Box Office: 0117 922 3683 - 24 Hotline: 0870 735 5000
Ticket Price: £18.50 www.bookingsdirect.com

June 19th: Wrexham NEWI
Phase 1 Records 01978 264 940 Tourist Board 01978 292015
Ticket price: £22 & £20 www.wayahead.com

June 20th: Edinburgh Usher Hall, Scotland
Box office: 0131 228 1155

The band also play at the:
Hebridean Celtic Festival, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland on Friday 18th July, Waterboys onstage at 10.15pm.
Box Office : (00 44) 7001 878787 Festival details from: www.hebceltfest.com

WATERBOYS PERFORM LIVE ON "THIS IS DOM JOLY"
MARCH 19th 2003

The band have recorded performances of two songs for "This Is Dom Joly", to be broadcast on BBC3 in June. They played "This Light Is For The World" from the forthcoming "Universal Hall" album and an extended version of "Strange Boat", with the same line-up as January's UK shows.

"INDEPENDENCE DAY" ON UNCUT MAGAZINE CD
MARCH 2nd 2003

The Waterboys have recorded a version of Bruce Springsteen's song "Independence Day" during sessions for their new album, and it will be on a CD of Springsteen songs included with the next issue of Uncut Magazine in the UK, street-date March 7th. The track features Mike on bass and vocals, Richard on organ and Steve on lead Electric Fiddle with a hip hop drum track. The original of "Independence Day" was on Springsteen's album "The River". This will be the second time The Waterboys have contributed a track to an Uncut CD, the first being Dylan's "Girl Of The North Country" in 2002. Mike talks about the recording of "Independence Day" here.

NEWCASTLE & GLASGOW SHOWS - WHAT HAPPENED
JANUARY 29th 2003

At their concerts at Newcastle and Glasgow last week the band unveiled a new two-part show. The first half of the shows were acoustic and featured Mike performing solo and in duo with first Steve, then Richard, followed by the three performing together, and finally as a four piece with Brad Waissman on upright Bass. The second half featured the full 5-man electric band with Geoff Dugmore on Drums and Richard playing Hammond Organ. The second set included "Long Way To The Light", "Whole Of The Moon" and a fifteen minute "Pan Within".

Said Mike : "With this show we're able to merge all the different kinds of shows we've done over the past three years and so step beyond playing either acoustic or electric and do both in depth. All aspects of Waterboys music are now possible every night."

To read a review of the recent gig at the Celtic Connections, Glasgow click here.

The band will resume touring with this shape of show in June when the new album, now titled "Universal Hall" is released. Watch this website for details or click here to receive regular news updates.

THOUGHTS ON THE PASSING OF JOE STRUMMER
DECEMBER 26th 2002

A Clash fan writes. Click here to read.

MIKE INTERVIEWED IN NEW BOOK "IN SEARCH OF THE MAGIC OF FINDHORN"
DECEMBER 8th 2002

There is an interview with Mike Scott in "In Search Of The Magic Of Findhorn" by Karin Bogliolo and Carly Newfeld, just published by Findhorn Press. The book is the latest of many about the Findhorn Community in Scotland with which Mike has strong connections and where he and The Waterboys have played many times. You can read an excerpt (here) and purchase it at amazon.com or amazon.co.uk

MIKE WRITES ARTICLE ON ELVIS IN NEW ISSUE OF CADUCEUS MAGAZINE
DECEMBER 8th 2002

Mike has written an article about Elvis Presley entitled "Elvis : World Server" which will be published in the end of year edition of the UK magazine Caduceus, available around December 17th. Mike describes it as "A new and personal view of who Elvis was and how he performed three great services to the world, on both everyday and soul levels." For further information on how to obtain Caduceus click (here)

MIKE'S "PATCH JOSEPH LANNIGAN" STORIES TO APPEAR IN IRISH MAGAZINE WEST47
SEPTEMBER 18th 2002

Two short stories written by Mike Scott will be published in Issue 9 of Galway arts magazine West47, which comes out on October 4th. Titles are "The Curse Of The Leather Shoe" and "Patch's Wedding Night" and both stories feature the character Patch Joseph Lannigan who Mike developed over the past few years on the Waterboys internet Forum. Copies of West47 are available by post, priced Euro 3.50 (+ 2 Euro postage outside Ireland), from Maura Kennedy, West47, Galway Arts Centre, 47 Dominick St, Galway, Ireland.

NEW SINEAD O'CONNOR ALBUM FEATURING STEVE RELEASED IN OCTOBER
SEPTEMBER 18th 2002

The new Sinead O'Connor album, "Sean- Nos Nua", featuring Steve Wickham on fiddle, will be released by Hummingbird Records on October 4th (Ireland) and by Hummingbird/Pinnacle on October 14th (UK). The album comprises new arrangements of traditional Irish songs (the title means "new old style"). Steve will be guesting with Sinead on her tour dates this Autumn and as soon as we have details they will be posted here.

"FISHERMAN'S BLUES" CARTOON GALLERY NOW ON SITE
MAY 21st 2002

A Gallery of 36 cartoons from the hundreds drawn by The Waterboys during the making of "Fisherman's Blues" has been added to this site. A few of these drawings have appeared in the past on Waterboys album sleeves. For a fuller view and the background story to the cartoons click here

NORTH AMERICAN RELEASE OF "FISHERMAN'S BLUES TWO" ON JULY 9th
MAY 20th 2002

At Mike's request last year's "Too Close To Heaven" album of previously unheard music from the "Fisherman's Blues" sessions has been retitled for its North American release. It will be released on July 9th and is the same as the European release but initial pressings will include a free bonus CD lasting 24 minutes and comprising five tracks. The first four songs are all "Fisherman's Blues" session recordings from 1986/7. The Waterboys plan to play some American shows around the time of the album's release. Details will be revealed here as soon as we have them.

The full tracklist of the bonus CD is :

Higher In Time (Mike and Anto 2 pianos version) (3.37)
Ain't Leavin', I'm Gone (4.22)
Lonesome And A Long Way From Home (3.17)
The Good Ship Sirius (0.35)
Too Close To Heaven (Live 2001) (13.16)

MIKE'S 'UNCUT' DYLAN PIECE
MAY 20th 2002

To read the unedited text of Mike's piece about Dylan published in this month's Uncut magazine click here.

"THE WATERBOYS" AND "A PAGAN PLACE" REISSUED.
MARCH 11th 2002

The first two Waterboys albums, 1983's "The Waterboys" and 1984's "A Pagan Place" have been re-issued by EMI Records. Both albums have been completely re-mastered from the original tapes at Abbey Road and for the first time include unedited versions of Waterboys classics "Gala", "All The Things She Gave Me" and "The Thrill Is Gone".

In addition a total of thirteen extra songs from the years 1981-84 that have either never been released or have never been available on CD, are spread over the 2 CDs, including many magical vintage recordings. The albums come complete with full track-by-track musician credits (for the first time) and new in-depth sleevenotes by Mike Scott.
Click here for Full Information, Lyrics, Anto Interview and more

The complete tracklistings are :

THE WATERBOYS
1. December
2. A Girl Called Johnny
3. The Three Day Man
4. Gala (unedited version : 9.30)
5. Where Are You Now When I Need You ? (previously unavailable on CD)
6. I Will Not Follow
7. It Should Have Been You
8. The Girl In The Swing
9. Savage Earth Heart
10. Something Fantastic (previously unreleased)
11. Ready For The Monkeyhouse (previously unavailable on CD)
12. Another Kind Of Circus (previously unreleased)
13. A Boy In Black Leather (previously unreleased)
14. December ( previously unreleased original 8-track mix)
15. Jack Of Diamonds (previously unreleased)


A PAGAN PLACE
1. Church Not Made With Hands
2. All The Things She Gave Me (unedited version : 5.31)
3. The Thrill Is Gone (unedited version : 5.28)
4. Rags
5. Some Of My Best Friends Are Trains (previously unreleased)
6. Somebody Might Wave Back
7. The Big Music
8. Red Army Blues
9. A Pagan Place
10. The Late Train To Heaven (previously unreleased mix)
11. Love That Kills ( previously unreleased instrumental mix)
12. The Madness Is Here Again (previously unreleased early version of "Be My Enemy")
13. Cathy (previously unreleased version of a Nikki Sudden song)
14. Down Through The Dark Streets (previously unreleased)

This page contains all of the old news stories.

FEBRUARY 12th - AMERICAN RELEASE OF RE-TITLED "FISHERMAN'S BLUES PART TWO" IN JUNE

At Mike's request Razor And Tie Records have re-titled the European "Too Close To Heaven" album as "Fisherman's Blues Part Two" for America. Says Mike : "It was almost called Fisherman's Blues Part Two everywhere - because it is ! - but I was concerned that people might not understand these were old recordings from the same period as the original album. Now the story is out and I don't think anyone will get confused, so Fisherman's Blues Part Two it is."

The album will be released in June and is the same as the European release but initial pressings will include a free bonus CD lasting 24 minutes and comprising five tracks. The first four songs are all "Fisherman's Blues" session recordings from 1986/7. The Waterboys plan to play some American shows around the time of the album's release. Details will be revealed here as soon as we have them.

The full tracklist of the bonus CD is :

Higher In Time (Mike and Anto 2 pianos version) (3.37)
Ain't Leavin', I'm Gone (4.22)
Lonesome And A Long Way From Home (3.17)
The Good Ship Sirius (0.35)
Too Close To Heaven (Live 2001) (13.16)

FEBRUARY 5th - JO WADESON LEAVES THE WATERBOYS

We're sorry to announce the departure of Jo from the band's ranks. After a year and a half of stalwart bass playing service Jo is leaving to concentrate on writing and recording her own music in London. We all wish her creative and commercial success. She hopes to set up a website at some time in the future and when she does we'll post the URL here. Jo said "I've met some fine people whilst touring with The Waterboys and it's been a pleasure playing to dedicated fans who dig the music."

NOVEMBER 29th - MIC CHRISTOPHER Mike Scott writes

"Today we received the sad news that after almost two weeks on life support, Mic has died. He passed away in the presence of his family and friends on the afternoon of November 29th. The Waterboys and our roadcrew had only known Mic a short time but he had become one of our "family" and everyone on the tour is very upset. We send our thoughts and condolences to Mic's family and we send our love and blessings to Mic as he journeys to the Light. I picture him on stage with his guitar and his skullcap, his powerful manly voice ringing out as he stands, bathed in red and purple light, holding the audience in easy mastery. We miss him."

NOVEMBER 21st - SUPPORT ACT MIC CHRISTOPHER HAS HAD AN ACCIDENT

Mic Christopher, supporting The Waterboys on their current tour, has had a serious accident in Holland. It is believed he fell badly and hit his head. He is in hospital in Holland and in intensive care. His condition is critical but stable. All of us at www.mikescottwaterboys.com including The Waterboys themselves are praying for Mic's recovery and speedy return to his natural habitat of the concert stage.

For the time being The Waterboys are continuing to tour Europe without any support act. They are playing a long show and are starting slightly earlier than they would normally so it is advisable to get to the shows early. When we get more news on Mic's progress we will post it here. Mike Scott asks that we all send Mic our love and healing thoughts.

If you would like to leave a message of goodwill for Mic you may do so at Mic's own website. If you are moved to donate money to help Mic's family with Mic's hospital expenses, then please give to the following account :

Account Name: Mic Christopher Benefit Fund
Account Number: 40912303
Sort Code: 90 01 72
Bank of Ireland - Leeson Street, Dublin 2

NOVEMBER 17th - PRE-SHOW MUSIC DETAILS

What is that fantastic compilation tape of music that plays before every Waterboys show ? So many of you have asked us about this that we had a word with Waterboys' soundman Chris Madden who has kindly given us the full tracklisting information. Click here for details.

NOVEMBER 2nd - STEVE WICKHAM'S NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DIARY

Read all about the recent North American tour in Steve's own diary. Click here.

OCTOBER 27th - MIC CHRISTOPHER SUPPORTING ON EUROPEAN DATES

The support act for the current British, European and Irish tours is songwriter and singer Mic Christopher. Mic was born in New York but has lived in Ireland for most of his life and was previously the lead singer of the band The Mary Janes. His first solo E.P. entitled "Heyday" came out last year. He was recommended to Mike Scott by mutual friend, Frames singer Glen Hansard.

Click here to visit his website.

AUGUST 31st - GEOFF DUGMORE TO DRUM ON AUTUMN TOURS

Geoff Dugmore has replaced Jay Dee Daugherty for The Waterboys' autumn tours of America and Europe, beginning in Colorado on September 22. Geoff played on the last 2 shows of the band's summer festival schedule and was the drummer in Mike's live "Still Burning" band in 1997. Asked to explain the change Mike told us "When Geoff played with us at the recent festivals something clicked - the music came into sharper focus. It was great and I knew he was the guy we needed for these tours. It's no reflection on Jay Dee, who's a killer drummer and brought a lovely swagger to our sound."

JUNE 11th - US RELEASE OF "A ROCK IN THE WEARY LAND" - AUGUST 21

"A Rock In The Weary Land" will be released in the USA on August 21st by Razor And Tie Records, the New York based label. The catalogue number is 7930182873-2. The album features two extra tracks unavailable on the European version - "Lucky Day/Bad Advice" and "My Lord, What A Morning" (which was previously available on the UK "Is She Conscious" EP) and has a new running order. According to Mike this version of the album is the best ! The full tracklist is :

Let It Happen
The Charlatan's Lament
Is She Conscious ?
We Are Jonah
It's All Gone
My Love Is My Rock In The Weary Land
Lucky Day/Bad Advice
His Word Is Not His Bond
Dumbing Down The World
Malediction
The Wind In The Wires
Night Falls On London
Crown
My Lord, What A Morning

Mike talks about A Rock In The Weary Land HERE.

JUNE 11th - "TOO CLOSE TO HEAVEN"
  NEW WATERBOYS ALBUM RELEASED IN EUROPE SEPT 24

The album of newly completed tracks from the legendary "Fisherman's Blues" sessions of 1986 and 1987 will be released in Europe by RCA on September 24th. (Please note that the band's new album in the USA is "A Rock In The Weary Land". "Too Close To Heaven" will be released stateside next year.) The ten songs - described as "brilliant" by a source at RCA - were mixed by Mike Scott and Tim Martin this Spring and feature the classic Mike/Steve Wickham/Anthony Thistlethwaite Waterboys sound. Other musicians include Trevor Hutchinson, Roddy Lorimer, Jim Keltner, Kevin Wilkinson and many others. The full tracklist is :

On My Way To Heaven (Don't You Wanna Go ?)
Higher In Time
The Ladder
Too Close To Heaven
Good Man Gone
Blues For Your Baby
Custer's Blues
A Home In The Meadow
Tenderfootin'
Lonesome Old Wind

The album lasts 58 minutes and all the tracks are previously unreleased including "Higher In Time" which is radically different from any version heard before. All the songs are original compositions except "A Home In The Meadow" (from the film 'How The West Was Won') and the gospel song "On My Way To Heaven". Mike has written sleevenotes telling the story of the sessions and the package includes many previously unseen photographs. A European tour this Autumn/Winter featuring the current line up of The Waterboys will follow the album. It is hoped that Anthony Thistlethwaite will appear at some dates.

To accompany the release of "Too Close To Heaven" we will be uploading a great amount of new information and material from the "Fisherman's Blues" sessions here on the official Website. Watch this space !

JUNE 11th - DISCOGRAPHY UPDATES

We have just uploaded full track-by-track musician credits for several Waterboys and Mike Scott albums in our Discography section. They are : "The Waterboys", "A Pagan Place", "This Is The Sea", "Fisherman's Blues", "Dream Harder" and "Bring 'Em All In". This is the first time such information has ever been available for several of the albums. Access them via the "Musicians Credits" icons under each album's section in the Discography Albums page.

JUNE 11th - KEVIN WILKINSON TRIBUTE ALBUM - INCLUDING NEW WATERBOYS TRACK

A 2 CD tribute to classic Waterboys drummer, the late Kevin Wilkinson has just been released by Revolver Records. The title is "Green Indians" and it includes a previously unreleased outtake from the sessions for "This Is The Sea" in 1985 entitled "Sleek White Schooner". The track - a wild rocker occasionally played live on early Waterboys tours - features Kevin on both drums and bass. The album catalogue number is RR110658CD. Other artists featured include Squeeze, The Proclaimers, China Crisis, Robert Fripp, Shriekback, John Otway, Robert Wyatt and many more.

NEXT WATERBOYS ALBUM SCHEDULED FOR AUTUMN 2001

Through January Mike has been hard at work in a London studio putting the finishing touches on the long-awaited collection of previously unreleased songs recorded during "Fisherman's Blues". The album is now expected to include ten songs and some additional instrumental interludes, most of them never played live. Mike describes it as "one of the best Waterboys records ever".

The working title is still "Too Close To Heaven" (though this may change) and RCA are scheduled to release it in Autumn 2001. Songs include "Custer's Blues", "Tenderfootin'", "Blues For Your Baby" and "The Ladder". It heavily features the Anthony Thistlethwaite/Steve Wickham Waterboys sound and guest musicians on the original recordings include Vinnie Kilduff, Roddy Lorimer and Jim Keltner. Anthony Thistlethwaite will be playing shows with The Waterboys around the release of the album. As soon as we have full release details and tracklist they will appear here.

MAY 28th - MIKE, STEVE, RICHARD AND JO INTERVIEWS

Over the last year we have managed to put some questions to the guys:

• Steve gives us an insight into the recent US tour and on rejoining The Waterboys
• Mike looks back on 6 months of touring and forward to the new album 'Too Close To Heaven'
• Richard tells us about the last 18 months
• Mike talks about the new album 'A Rock In The Weary Land'

MAY 25th - MIKE SOLO SHOW IN FINDHORN

Mike is playing a special solo show at Universal Hall, Findhorn, Scotland on Friday June 22nd. The show is a benefit for Ecologia, a Findhorn based charity that provides housing for Russian orphans. Mike will be accompanied by fellow Waterboy Richard Naiff on piano.

Tickets go on sale June 1st, and are available by credit card from Ecologia Box Office at 01309 690995. Universal Hall is a beautiful small theatre with a capacity of only 350 so it is advisable to book early to secure a ticket. Seating is unreserved.

Findhorn is in North-East of Scotland between Aberdeen and Inverness.
For information on how to get there click here.
For accommodation in Findhorn click here.
For accommodation in neighboring Forres click here.

APRIL 6th - WATERBOYS CONFIRMED FOR FLEADH 2001

The Waterboys are appearing at this years Fleadh featival in London, held on 16th June. They will be appearing before Neil Young And Crazy Horse around 7.30pm on the main stage. For full ticket details visit www.meanfiddler.com/fleadh.

APRIL 6th - "WE ARE JONAH" SINGLE CANCELLED

RCA Records UK have pulled the release of the "We Are Jonah" single due to disappointing radio play. We're sorry that these two CD's and single will not now be released.

It is not known when the unreleased tracks on the 'b' sides will now be released. When we have further info it will be posted here.

MARCH 3rd - JAY DEE DAUGHERTY REJOINS WATERBOYS FOR NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

The great Jay Dee Daugherty, who drummed with The Waterboys on "Fisherman's Blues" and their 1989 tour has rejoined the band for their upcoming North American tour, replacing Tom Windriff. Jay Dee is a long time member of The Patti Smith Group with whom he has recently been touring.

Mike Scott : "We're sorry to lose Tom. He wasn't able to commit to all the work we have coming up. But it's all for the best I'm sure. It's just great to work with Jay again; he's a supreme drummer."

MARCH 2nd - "WE ARE JONAH" SINGLE RELEASED APRIL 9th

"We Are Jonah" is the new single from The Waterboys and will be released in the UK on April 9th in 3 formats - 2 CDs and a 7" Single. "Jonah" has been remixed at Mike's request by top Producer Steve Power and appears in two slightly edited versions.

Both CDs include previously unreleased tracks - an incendiary live "Dumbing Down The World" with extended ambient outro and the caustic "Martin Decent" - as well as songs previously available only on the Japanese edition of "A Rock In The Weary Land". The various editions are :

CD1 (RCA 74321848702) :
We Are Jonah 4.32
Lucky Day/Bad Advice 3.02
Dumbing Down The World (live at Glastonbury 2000) 5.50

CD2 (RCA 74321848712) :
We Are Jonah 4.32
Martin Decent 2.02
Send Him Down To Waco 6.46

7" (RCA 74321848707) :
We Are Jonah 3.52
Time, Space And The Bride's Bed 4.17

FEBRUARY 19th - "ON MY WAY TO THE BIG LIGHT" AWARD

"On My Way To The Big Light" by Mielaw And The Waterboys - Mike's collaboration with top Latvian singer Ainars Mielavs - has won Best Rock Song of 2000 at the Latvian Music Awards, Latvia's version of the Brits or Grammies. The awards are organised by the Latvian Producers Association (LAMPA) and held every February.

JANUARY 28th - CANADIAN RELEASE OF "A ROCK IN THE WEARY LAND"

RCA Records release "A Rock In The Weary Land" in Canada on March 6th but will not be releasing the album in the USA. The Waterboys management is currently negotiating a separate US release and as soon as we have details they will appear on this page.

"IS SHE CONSCIOUS" NEW EP RELEASED FEBRUARY 12th

The Waterboys release a landmark seven track enhanced CD EP in the UK on Monday February 12th. The lead track is "IS SHE CONSCIOUS?" from the album "A Rock In The Weary Land" and the other six tracks are specially available only on this release. They are :

"SAD PROCESSION" (a totally different seven and a half minute version of "Let It Happen"); a never before heard song "THE FAERIES' PRISONER"; "IS SHE CONSCIOUS?" (Mike's solo acoustic version); a great sixteen minute live performance of "SAVAGE EARTH HEART" from Oslo 2000; an acoustic version of the gospel song, "MY LORD, WHAT A MORNING"; and the brand new video for "IS SHE CONSCIOUS?", edited by Mike from Steve Gullick's films of The Waterboys live in London last October.

The EP lasts for more than forty minutes and its catalogue number is RCA 7432 183649 2. To see the EP Sleeve click here.

IAN McNABB TO PLAY KEYBOARDS ON THE UK TOUR

Ian McNabb, who played bass in Mike's 1997 band is guesting with The Waterboys as second keyboard player on the upcoming UK Tour starting January 26th at Edinburgh Corn Exchange. He joins Mike, Richard, Jo and Tom and replaces John Baggott.

Asked about Ian's presence on the dates Mike said "He's a great musician and guy and he really understands the music. Also, like me he's a guitar player who plays piano. And I love sharing a stage with him. I know it's only for a short while as Ian has his own album coming soon, and we have other line up plans for later, but it'll be special. That's for sure. John Baggott did a good job on the Autumn tour but won't be staying with the band. We wish him well."

DECEMBER 17th - New Live Photos

We have just uploaded many great new live action photos from The Waterboys European tour. To see them click here.

JANUARY 25th - STEVE WICKHAM REJOINS THE WATERBOYS

We're thrilled to announce that fiddler Steve Wickham is rejoining The Waterboys full time. He will be with the band from their North American tour which is currently being booked for late March/early April (full concert and ticket details will appear here soon).

Steve was previously a full time Waterboy between 1985 and 1990. He played on the albums "This Is The Sea", "Fisherman's Blues" and "Room To Roam" and was a major part of the classic Waterboys line ups of that era. He also plays on all of the forthcoming album of previously unreleased music from the "Fisherman's Blues" sessions (see below). His last full show with The Waterboys was at Glasgow Barrowlands on New Year's Eve 1989/90. His musical relationship with Mike Scott was sparked again when the two played acoustic shows together in Ireland in 1999 and 2000. More recently Steve appeared with The Waterboys at their three Irish shows in December (for photo click here).

THE WATERBOYS LIVE ON GERMAN TV - DECEMBER 16th

The Waterboys will be appearing live on "Rockpalast" 16th December 2000. It will be broadcast live at 11.45 CET on German TV channel WDR3. The concert is also being webcast live at www.rockpalast.de.
Mike will also be doing a live web chat at approx. 10.30pm CET.

DECEMBER 11th - "BIG LIGHT" NUMBER ONE IN LATVIA

The Waterboys collaboration with Latvian singer Ainars Mielavs, "On My Way To The Big Light" is currently number one in Latvia. You can view the chart here.

OCTOBER 20th - NEW BASS PLAYER

Jo Wadeson has replaced Gordon Davis on bass on the current Waterboys tour. She played her first show with the band at York Barbican tonight.


OCTOBER 14th - WATERBOYS : LINE-UP CHANGES

The Waterboys line up for the UK and European tour has just been confirmed as Mike Scott (Vocals/Electric and Acoustic Guitar), Richard Naiff (Keyboards, Theremin, Effects), John Baggott (Piano/Keyboards), Gordon Davis (Bass, Backing Vocals) and Tom Windriff (Drums, Backing Vocals).

Previous live and recording drummer Jeremy Stacey and ertswhile bassist Dave Caitlin-Birch both left in the first week of October to pursue other projects.

Mike and Richard spent the last ten days trying out, choosing and rehearsing new musicians. Sadly, projected 2nd keyboard player/guitarist Seamus Beaghen had to drop out of the tour on doctor's orders due to exhaustion. The new line-up makes its live debut tonight in Exeter.


ADAM SNYDER : TOUR SUPPORT ACT

Adam Snyder, formerly keyboard player with Mercury Rev, has been confirmed as support act on the whole tour through both Britain and Europe. Adam will be performing solo with his electric guitar. He also guested on keyboards and guitar as a member of The Waterboys for their "Later With Jools Holland" appearance, recorded October 10th for broadcast Saturday 14th. Adam's website is at www.adamsnyder.com.


THE WATERBOYS ON TV - OCTOBER 14th

The Waterboys live performance of "Let It Happen" and "The Whole Of The Moon" was shown on BBC2's "Later With Jools Holland" on Saturday 14th October. You can find a filmed interview with Mike Scott on the "Later" website at www.bbc.co.uk/later/.

Mike Scott and Steve Wickham have been playing acoustic shows together in the West of Ireland.
In Autumn 1999 and Spring 2000 they played shows in Sligo and Galway, performing many songs from the "Fisherman's Blues"/"Room To Roam" era as well as songs from "A Rock In The Weary Land" and brand new numbers such as the infamous "The Wedding". (You can find the set lists in the Archive HERE) . The shows were a great success and Mike and Steve plan to play more when their schedules allow.

A ROCK IN THE WEARY LAND

The new Waterboys album, A ROCK IN THE WEARY LAND was released in Europe on September 25th by RCA Records. A ROCK IN THE WEARY LAND is the first new Waterboys album in seven years, and Mike's first since 1997's solo "Still Burning". The cover picture was taken by Steve Gullick and the booklet includes full lyrics and a sleevenote by Mike.

The album includes many of the songs which have been premiered at Waterboys, Mike Scott and Mike Scott/Steve Wickham shows over the past two years. The full tracklist is :

Let It Happen
My Love Is My Rock In The Weary Land
It's All Gone
Is She Conscious
We Are Jonah
Malediction
Dumbing Down The World
His Word Is Not His Bond
Night Falls On London
The Charlatan's Lament
The Wind In The Wires
Crown

The album was produced by Mike and recorded in London between 1998 and 2000.

Among the musicians featured on "A ROCK IN THE WEARY LAND" are keyboard players Thighpaulsandra and Richard Naiff, drummers Jeremy Stacey and Paul Beavis, bassmen Livingston Brown, Mark Smith and Cameron Miller plus The London Community Gospel Choir and jazz saxophonist Gilad Atzmon. Mike's old Waterboys colleague Anthony Thistlethwaite plays wild electric slide mandolin on two tracks.

Mike has described the sound as "Sonic Rock" and anyone who witnessed The Waterboys performance at the Glastonbury Festival should have an idea of what to expect : killer best-ever songs with a dangerous ground breaking sound. North American release is scheduled for February 2001.

Mike talks about A Rock In The Weary Land HERE.