Well, it’s been a while but the wait is over. Following last year’s European dates, Stiv and the Silent Strangers needed time to chill out, recoup and regroup. It had been rough and rocky travelling, including two critically acclaimed albums, and numerous dates, including four tours trips to the UK and some of their biggest shows yet, at London’s fabled Dirty Water Club and as special guests to Alive! Records hotshots LEFT LANE CRUISER. Our boys ended up hitting the hard shoulder on the border between the Netherlands and France, and eventually drifted back the their Italian ranches to power down.

Now the news is out! Stiv Cantarelli & The Silent Strangers are preparing a new record! It might take a while, but it’s definitely on its way. We’ll let you know more when we have it.

More currently, while the Strangers went off and did their various things, Stiv secreted himself in his Florentine garret armed with his trusty 1934 acoustic, a Roland TR-626 drum machine and a handful of pedals and laid down some of the filthiest, minimalistest blues this side of the Tees-Exe line. The results of this will be available soon on a five-track EP under the nom de blues JMAES DEAN HANGOVER – hell, it’s already picking up airplay courtesy of the excellent blues reconstructionist Balling The Jack show on the UK’s Resonance FM.

In the meantime, Stiv will be dipping a tentative toe in the chilly waters of live performance on Friday 22 April, when he joins old friends THE DUBLO and  MOLLYS DAGGERS onstage at Grow, Hackney Wick, London for a night of Beat, Bop & Blues. See you there?

So all the dates are finally in! The band head out this week touching down in Chelmsford, Essex for the first date of the European Tour. Full dates are as follows. See you on the road….

May 20 The Asylum – Chelmsford UK

May 21 Moon Club – Cardiff UK

May 22 Shakespeare’s – Sheffield UK

May 23 Biddle Bros – Hackney, London UK

May 24 Mezz – Breda NL

May 25 Swaf – Hoorn NL

May 27 Joe Tex Pub – Lille FR

May 28 Private – Nancy FR

May 29 Ze Music All – Besancon FR

May 30 Archiv – Basel CH

Well, the time’s here to announce the second batch of dates for the Spring Euro Tour. They don’t quite cover as much of the UK as we’d like but we’re getting there. We’ll be back again in October anyhow, so if you want us to come and trash your town, please drop us a line. In the meantime, we hope to see you at….

Wed 20 May – The Asylum, Chelmsford (w/The Ascetics) http://www.asylumchelmsford.co.uk/

Thur 21 May – The Moon, Cardiff (w/The Johnstown Flood) http://www.themoonclub.net/

Fri 22 May – Shakespeare’s, Sheffield http://www.shakespeares-sheffield.co.uk/

Sat 23 May – Biddle Bros, London https://www.facebook.com/biddlebros

OK after the success of Banks Of The Lea at the end of last year the band have rested and are ready to return to their favourite place – The Road. But we have to ease them in gently. Over the coming weeks we’ll be posting up all dates here, but in the meantime, here is the first batch…