MUSIC: Alison Moyet’s Other Tour takes in Olympia Theatre

ALISON Moyet has just announced a series of Irish dates this October as part of the ‘Other’ tour.

As well as the Cork Opera House on Friday, October 27 and the Ulster Hall, Alison will play the Olympia Theatre on Saturday, October 28.

The tour will feature songs from ‘Other’ – the brand-new album by the pop legend and relentless explorer.

“For me, making a record at this age, lyrically, is a different proposition,” she explained recently.

“Observation in most cases replaces emotion. The invisibility of middle-aged woman rather thrills me.

“The subject matter covers what you might expect from a pop album,” she laughed.

“Dyslexia, locked-out syndrome, diversity, Persephone, doggedness and the Internet.

“I’m always asked what a song is about and I attempt to cooperate,” she added, “but in truth the lyrics incorporate my best attempt to describe what I see and of the meaning that is mine.”

The music on the album bursts with clarity, vitality and freshness, in the zingy ‘Lover Go’, in the chic laid-back soundtrack-style ‘The English U’, ‘Beautiful Gun’s’, a nod to her rock and roll roots, the icy Germanic arpeggios of ‘Reassuring Pinches’ and the ambient, spoken-word poem ‘April 10th’. 

The hauntingly fragile and sparsely presented title track ‘Other’, which is accompanied by a hypnotic video directed by Steve Gullick, is available as an instant track download when pre-ordering the album. 

‘Other’ finds Alison at the top of her game – making exactly the adventurous electronic pop music she wants to at this moment in time, with her voice and songwriting both intense, poetic and thought-provoking. ‘Other’ was catalysed by Alison’s fruitful dalliance with producer and song writing collaborator Guy Sigsworth, who (as well as having worked with Björk, Goldie and Madonna), co-created her last album ‘The Minutes’, which debuted at number five in the national charts and won critical acclaim. 

The new long player features backing vocals from Alison’s daughter on ‘The English U’, which was preceded by her guest appearance on stage at Alison’s Royal Albert Hall show, and an appearance in the video for ‘When I Was Your Girl’ (from ‘The Minutes’). 

In addition to Alison studying sculpture at college while also creating this new release, other happenings of note since ‘The Minutes’ include receiving an Icon Award at Nordoff Robbins Silver Clef Awards.

There was also a hot ticket performance with a 32-piece orchestra at Burberry’s London Fashion Week womenswear show.

And for her involvement in the RSC’s celebration of Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary, Alison composed and performed a new arrangement of ‘Sigh No More Ladies’ (from Much Ado About Nothing) for their BBC 2 live special.