St. Cecilia and the Gypsy Soul is the ninth studio album by English rock band the Quireboys. It was released by Off Yer Rocka Recordings on 30 March 2015 as part of a four-disc set, including a reissue of Halfpenny Dancer (2009) and two live performance discs.
The album received generally positive reviews and was noted for its acoustic instrumentation and stripped-down production.
Background In 2009, the Quireboys released Halfpenny Dancer, which featured acoustic re-recordings of their earlier work. The album was recorded at Lemon Studios in Klippan, Sweden, and the band returned in 2014 to record a similar acoustic album. The project changed direction, and instead, they began recording an album of new material.
Track listing
Touring Prior to album's release, and in continuation of the band's 30th anniversary celebrations, the band announced a series of intimate shows beginning in the United Kingdom. The shows involved classic tracks, rarities, surprises as well as a selection of new material, played in unplugged arrangements.
Tour dates Unplugged & Personal UK Headline TourDateCityCountryVenue27 February 2015BoltonEnglandThe Railway Venue28 February 2015WinchesterEnglandThe Railway Inn1 March 2015LeamingtonEnglandZephyr Lounge6 March 2015ChesterEnglandThe Live Rooms7 March 2015RushdenEnglandThe Attic8 March 2015LeicesterEnglandThe Musician9 March 2015BilstonEnglandThe Robin 211 March 2015EveshamEnglandIron Road Rock Bar12 March 2015SwanseaWalesStatic Bar13 March 2015CardiffWalesFuel Rock Club15 March 2015NorwichEnglandThe Brickmakers19 March 2015WakefieldEnglandWarehouse 2320 March 2015GrimsbyEnglandYardbirds Rock Club21 March 2015BingleyEnglandThe Arts Centre22 March 2015DoncasterEnglandThe Diamond Live Lounge26 March 2015EdinburghScotlandBannerman's Bar28 March 2015BallymenaScotlandDiamond Rock ClubUnplugged in the USADateCityStateVenue18-22 April 2015MiamiFLMonsters of Rock, The Hangover Cruise29 April 2015New York CityNew York]The Bowery Electric30 April 2015PhiladelphiaPALegendary Dobbs2 May 2015AmityvilleNYRevolution BarSt. Cecilia European Tour – Leg IDateCityCountryVenue8 August 2015BrienzSwitzerlandBrienzersee Rock Festival12 August 2015DudenhofenGermanyCity Hall13 August 2015PrattelnSwitzerlandZ7 Konzertfabrik14 August 2015FinkenbachGermanyFiniki Open Air15 August 2015EssenGermanyTurock27-31 August 2015HamburgGermanyWacken Open Air, Full Metal Cruise III5 September 2015HarlowUnited KingdomThe Square6 September 2015FarnhamUnited KingdomWeyfest12 September 2015Château de la Princesse d'Arenberg, RaismesFranceRaismes Fest8 October 2015GijónSpainCasino Acapulco9 October 2015Santiago de CompostelaSpainSala Capital10 October 2015VitoriaSpainJimmy Jazz11 October 2015CalellaSpainCalella Rockfest17 October 2015CagliariItalyFabrik28 October 2015CalellaFranceClub Pacific Rock31 October 2015HolmfirthUnited KingdomHolmfirth Halloween RockUnplugged in the UKDateCityCountryVenue12 November 2015YorkEnglandFibbers 13 November 2015EdinburghScotlandBannerman's Bar 14 November 2015BallymenaScotlandDiamond Rock Club 15 November 2015ChesterEnglandThe Live Rooms 19 November 2015WolverhamptonEnglandSlade Rooms 20 November 2015EveshamEnglandIron Road Rock Bar 21 November 2015CardiffWalesFuel Rock Club 22 November 2015LondonEnglandThe BorderlineSt. Cecilia European Tour – Leg IIDateCityCountryVenue3 December 2015GothenburgSwedenSticky Fingers4 December 2015LinköpingSwedenPalaset5 December 2015KarlshamnSwedenLive Entertainment6 December 2015StockholmSwedenDebaser Strand8 December 2015StuttgartGermanyKellerclub9 December 2015ZugSwitzerlandChollerhalle10 December 2015FrankfurtGermanyDas Bett11 December 2015LichtenfelsGermanyPaunchy Cats12 December 2015Hagan a.T.W.GermanyStock13 December 2015HamburgGermanyRock Café, St. Pauli14 December 2015CologneGermanyMTC15 December 2015DüsseldorfGermanyThe Tube16 December 2015BerlinGermanyFrannz Club18 December 2015BerlinPurmerendP319 December 2015RotterdamNetherlandsBaroeg20 December 2015RoeselareBelgiumDe Verlichte Geest21 January 2016ZaragozaSpainLa Casa del Loco22 January 2016ValladolidSpainPorta Caeli23 January 2016MadridSpainCopernico24 January 2016ServilleSpainSala X12 February 2016OsloNorwayOlsen Pa Bryn13 February 2016SandnesNorwayTribute17 February 2016SchaffhausenSwitzerlandKammgarn18 February 2016AarburgSwitzerlandMusigburg19 February 2016RubigenSwitzerlandHunziken24 February 2016TurinItalyEl Barrio25 February 2016BergamoItalyDruso26 February 2016RomeItalyTraffic27 February 2016PisaItalyBorderlineLive UK & Ireland TourDateCityCountryVenue4 March 2016BuckleyWalesThe Tivoli5 March 2016GrimsbyEnglandYardbirds Rock Club10 March 2016PwllheliWalesHRH AOR 4, Hafan y Môr11 March 2016BelfastNorthern IrelandLimelight 212 March 2016DublinIrelandVoodoo Lounge16 March 2016ManchesterEnglandThe Ritz17 March 2016GlasgowScotlandO2 ABC18 March 2016BristolEnglandO2 Academy19 March 2016NottinghamEnglandRescue Rooms20 March 2016NewcastleEnglandO2 Academy24 March 2016SheffieldEnglandO2 Academy25 March 2016LondonEnglandO2 Academy26 March 2016BirminghamEnglandO2 Academy1 April 2016NorwichEnglandThe Waterfront2 April 2016WakefieldEnglandWarehouse 23DateCityCountryVenue1-5 October 2016Los AngelesUnited StatesMonsters of Rock, West Coast Cruise
Personnel Band members Jonathan "Spike" Gray – lead vocals Guy Griffin – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, backing vocals Paul Guerin – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, backing vocals Keith Weir – keyboards, backing vocals Dave McCluskey – drums Nick Malling – bass guitar
Additional musicians Martin Ekelund – drums, bass, percussion, cello, minimoog
Production Martin Ekelund and the Quireboys – producing, mixing, mastering Jonni Davis – artwork concept
References