It’s finally here! The second album from Sons of Noel and Adrian will be released on May 21st, 2012. It is called Knots and it will be released on CD by Broken Sound (alongside Forest Fire, Peggy Sue, Rachael Dadd, The Mariner’s Children), digitally by Willkommen and on glorious gatefold vinyl by One Inch Badge. The CD is already available to preorder over at the Broken Sound shop. There’s a taster video of one of the tracks below.

If you’re an interested journalist then please contact Lauren Barely at Rarely Unable here.

The band’s sophomore album sees them breaking far away from the acoustic roots of their debut. Sons of Noel and Adrian’s immersion in folk music was always more informed by guitarists like Dave Pajo, David Grubbs and Jeff Parker than by traditionalists. These influences, rooted in the city of Chicago’s pre-millennial post-rock, jazz and avant-pop scenes, are explored on Knots to their fullest. At times soft and orchestral, at times crass and loud, Knots is always infused with beauty and tenderness: soulful, taunt, honed and with a new found love of kosmiche experimentation. Knots’ expanded sonic tapestry is marshalled and woven with growing stature by SONAA’s chief song-writer, Jacob Richardson, whose meditative lyrical concepts and melodic craftsmanship mark him out as musician of genuine depth and gravitas whilst remaining as arcane and beguiling as Palace.

Rejecting notions of a fixed line-up, Sons of Noel and Adrian is more of a sprawling musical whirlpool centred around a few key members, not unlike Broken Social Scene, with whom two members of Sons toured with last year as part of their horn section. The band includes members of The Mariner’s Children, Eyes & No Eyes, and make up most of the renowned Willkommen Collective that spawned The Leisure Society, and the various members lend their talents freely to everyone from Damo Suzuki to Laura Marling.

Such selfless creative interdependence is at the heart of the Willkommen Collective and Sons of Noel and Adrian. The results of their musical co-operative have yielded an album that transcends their debut and positions them as a very unique and thrilling proposition indeed: Knots see SONAA charting new, unexplored aural terrain as immersive an experience on stage as it on record.

Also don’t forget the following shows:

April 2: CARDIFF – 10 Feet Tall   | Last.fm | Songkick | Tickets | with Winter Villains & Emma Gatrill
April 3: BRISTOL – The Fleece  | Last.fm | Songkick | Tickets | with Laish & Emma Gatrill
April 4: NORWICH – Arts Centre  | Last.fm | Songkick | with Laish & Emma Gatrill
April 5: LONDON – Bush Hall  | Last.fm | Songkick | Tickets | with Laish & Emma Gatrill
April 7: BRIGHTON – The Haunt  | Last.fm | Songkick | with Laish & Emma Gatrill

Laish are hitting the road hard in April, doing a short tour supporting Sons of Noel and Adrian and Emma Gatrill and then doing a slightly longer tour featuring just themselves. They are currently working hard to finish a second album, make a new music video and hone their live set.

Laish are also offering their debut album for the next thirty days at the discounted price of £4 on download and £7 on cd only via their bandcamp so get it cheap while you can.

Dates below, further information on facebook here.

APRIL

3 bristol, louisiana* TICKETS
4 norwich, arts centre* TICKETS
5 london, hoxton bar moved to Bush Hall* TICKETS
7 brighton, the haunt* TICKETS

(* with Sons of Noel & Adrian and Emma Gatrill)

18 leeds, communion (with Saul Ashby)
19 bath, chapel arts (with People’s String Foundation) TICKETS
20 st austell, eden cafe TICKETS
21 falmouth, miss peapods TICKETS
22 cardiff, 10 feet tall
24 newcastle, cumberland arms (with Richard Dawson, Martha Rose)
25 london, old queens head (supporting Emily Portman) TICKETS
26 milton keynes, the stables (with Emma Gatrill) TICKETS
27 lewes, needlemakers (with Emma Gatrill)

There are two fantastic Willkommen shows coming up this December in Brighton and Lewes – and both headliners have recorded seasonal hits.

The wonderful Hamilton Yarns have uploaded a typically unique Christmas song which you can get for free from here. The band play at the Needlemakers in Lewes with Kristin McClement on December 20th.

Laish have done the same and their track can be heard here. The band play tomorrow, Wednesday 14th December, at the Proud Ballroom in Kemp Town, Brighton with The Magic Lantern. Tickets are available here. Then the two bands then play at Old St Mary’s Church in Stoke Newington, London on Friday 16th December. Tickets for that one can be purchased here.

Click to see larger flier

Here are further details on the Willkommen Collective tour. The Leisure Society and Sons of Noel and Adrian will play all the dates, and will be supported by a rotating cast of bands from the Collective – to be announced soon.

There is a facebook event for the tour here. Please mark yourself as attending and help to spread the word amongst your friends.

April 2010

Thursday 1st: LONDON – The Tabernacle
—> tickets | last.fm | songkick | map | more info | 0207 221 9700

Saturday 3rd: BRIGHTON – The Corn Exchange
—> tickets | last.fm | songkick | map | more info | 01273 709709

Sunday 4th: BRISTOL – Thekla
—> tickets | last.fm | songkick | map | 08713 100 000

Monday 5th: LEEDS – Brudenell Social Club
—> tickets | last.fm | songkick | map | 0113 2455570

Tuesday 6th: MANCHESTER – Band on the Wall
—> tickets | last.fm | songkick | map | more info | 0845 2 500 500

Wednesday 7th: KENDAL – Brewery Arts Centre
—> tickets | last.fm | songkick | map | more info | 01539 725133

In February the Willkommen Collective embark on a special project. We’ve assembled a twenty piece band and called it The Willkommen Orchestra. We will be playing songs from the Shoreline, Sons of Noel and Adrian, The Miserable Rich and The Climbers repertoires all arranged especially for the occasion. It’ll be the first time any of The Climbers songs have been played live, ahead of the debut album release this Spring.

This is a one off project and we’ll be performing just twice:

Friday 19th February at Brighton Unitarian Church
Saturday 27th February at London Kings Place

The London show is part of the Arctic Circle’s The Bubbly Blue and Green - a four-day festival of eclectic ‘water music’ influenced by shipwrecks, rivers, waves and lighthouses.

Housed in the halls of Kings Place, the festival runs from the 24th to 27th February 2010 and features Philip Jeck, Janek Schaefer, Hauschka, Hildur Gudnadottir, ISAN, Samphire Band, The Sleeping Years, Iarla O’Lionaird, The London Snorkelling Team, Paper Cinema and The Willkommen Orchestra.

Tickets are on sale with very limited SAVER SEATS available online at £9.50 for all concerts. Prices (unless stated otherwise): £24.50, £19.50, £15.50 Premium seats available.

Tickets & more information available here.