Blair Dunlop + Painted Sky

Blair Dunlop begins the campaign for his 5th studio album announcing 25 UK tour dates in

April and May 2024. Let’s Get Out of the Rain will be Blair’s first Studio album since 2018

(Notes from and Island). Where ‘Notes’ was an introspective analysis of Brexit Britain, the

new collection is a celebration of spring, newness and freedom. Songs of metamorphosis

and wide screen road trips prevail.

Blair has been hailed as one of the UK’s most accomplished songwriters since he burst into

the folk scene with his debut Blight & Blossom (2012). BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards followed

along with critical acclaim. In 2016 Blair released on his own label (Gilded Wings) and

received wider acclaim and BBC Radio 2 playlisting for singled ‘The Egoist’ and ‘356’.

Appearances at Glastonbury and the major Folk Festivals followed, along with breakthrough

tours of Australia; and Blair is now firmly established as a household name amongst

respected British songwriters.

On the new collection of songs and the album Blair says:

“It’s been 5 years since my last record, comfortably my longest gap between releases, so it

feels really good to be able to put this out in the world. Jim Moray is producing, and that’s

very exciting as he’s someone I’ve admired for many years. He was one of the reasons I first

got into traditional music in my teens. Since then, my personal style has evolved, but there

are aspects of traditional storytelling that seep into my original works. I would say that

Midday Mass is a reflection of that. It’s a song about a café back in my hometown of

Chesterfield, but I guess that it’s a vehicle for a social commentary as much as anything else.

Overall, I would say the sound of the record is more positive than my previous work. That’s

due, in part, to the world opening up post-pandemic, and is ultimately born from a will to

connect with people and get out into the world again. The industry hasn’t fully recovered

yet, but it is a blessing to be able to tour in any capacity again. Freedom is a theme that runs

throughout (unintentionally), and I reckon that’s reflected musically as well as lyrically. I’ve

reached a point in my career where I just want to make the music I want to make, and give

less consideration to where it may sit in terms of stylings and genre. That’s an empowering

place to be and it opens up a world of sonic possibilities.”