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News From Black aka Colin Vearncombe
Liverpool-born Colin Vearncombe is probably best known for his legendary hits ‘Wonderful Life’ and ‘Sweetest Smile’, but Black (Colin’s musical nom de plume) has released more than 10 studio albums as well as several live albums in the past 25 years.
Eclectic, slightly melancholic and always extremely classy, he is cited as one of Europe’s finest singer-songwriter. Although it’s 25 years since ‘Wonderful Life’ stormed the charts, it still regularly appears on ‘all time favourite songs’ lists and the album will be re-released in a collector’s edition by Universal in April. Colin has spent long periods both writing and touring – sometimes with a band, sometimes solo – but always with a passion for words and communicating with his audiences.
2012 saw the release of the first in a series of new EPs, several European concerts and a run of UK gigs, plus a guest performance in the Moscow Olympic Stadium in front of 24,000 people. The Spring 2013 tour will take in a number of intimate venues: “Music is always about communication and this tour is going to be up close, personal and as much about the audiences as it is about me,” says Colin.
Unusually, he has never actively chased commercial success; in a recent press interview, he questioned the notion of success: “It’s never been about the money; music is about communication and getting ideas across, but if you make a record and it sells low, you can start wondering, ‘Did the message get lost?’ I’ve been making my living over the past few years from lower sales and I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time. Does that makes me more or less successful than before?”
Colin likes to connect with his audiences in new ways; in 2011 he staged a gig in a recording studio for a handpicked group of fans and at the end presented everyone with a personal copy of a CD and DVD of the performance. More recently, all the tracks on his album ‘Any Colour You Like’ were chosen from his back catalogue by his fans.
Alongside his song writing and performing, other talents have surfaced – for acting, painting and poetry. He’s recently starred in a short film, has staged three of his own art exhibitions and his first book of poetry ‘I Am Not The Same Person’ illustrated with his own paintings, was published in December 2012. He is currently working on a second book of poetry, and will be releasing the second in his EP series to coincide with the Spring 2013 dates.
APRIL 2013 UK DATES
7 – Portsmouth, The Cellars at Eastney
12 – Stockton, Georgian Theatre
17 – Glasgow, Wood End
18 – Manchester, Night and Day
19 – St Helens, The Citadel
20 – Nottingham, Bodega
21 – Cheltenham, Tithe Barn
22 – Bristol, Thekla
24 – London, Bush Hall