Alice Cooper – announces UK, Too Close For Comfort Tour

Icon, pioneer, and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee – Alice Cooper has achieved so much in his lengthy career.  But most importantly, Alice Cooper remains one the greatest rock shows on the planet.

Returning to the UK for the first time since 2022, in October, Alice and his award-winning band are heading to arenas in Glasgow (14th), Birmingham (16th), Manchester (17th), Leeds (18th) and, for the first time in many years, more up close and in your face shows at London’s Eventim Apollo (20th + 21st).

The Too Close For Comfort tour brings fans closer than ever to Alice with giant video screens blending the live action with pre-recorded scenes to delve deeper into Alice’s world.

Expect spectacle – snakes, guillotines, monsters and more – wreaking havoc on stage nightly. Classics like “Under My Wheels,” “I’m Eighteen,” “Schools Out,” “Poison,” “Billion Dollar Babies,” and “No More Mr Nice Guy” are staples and there are surprises every night, effortlessly drawn from one the greatest catalogues in rock and roll.

Fresh from the success of his latest album ‘Road,’ a concept album about the thrills and spills of touring, Alice is back, accompanied as always by his long-running live band of Ryan Roxie (guitar), Chuck Garric (bass), Tommy Henrikson (guitar), Glen Sobel (drums), and Nita Strauss (guitar).

For ‘Road’, I wanted the band to be involved in the foundation of all the songs,” says Alice. “I only see these guys when we’re on the road. So, I wanted them to be as tight as they are for the show but on all new material. When you have a band this good, I believe in showing it off, and this is my way of doing so.”

Primal Scream, one of Britain’s best-loved rock bands, will join Alice for the tour, in all cities except London.  The Glasgow band have been on an odyssey, making jangly guitar pop to brash rock n roll, incorporating acid house and psychedelia into unique records and live experiences.  Frontman Bobby Gillespie cites Alice’s shocking appearances on 1970s Top of the Pops as a formative influence.

In London, legendary Sex Pistols guitarist and songwriter Glen Matlock will be Alice’s special guest. And on all dates, up and coming acclaimed punks The Meffs will support.

Too Close For Comfort Tour, UK Dates

October 2024

Monday 14 – Glasgow Ovo Arena

Wednesday 16 – Birmingham Utilita Arena

Thursday 17 – Manchester AO Arena

Friday 18 – Leeds First Direct Arena

Sunday 20 – London Eventim Apollo

Monday 21 – London Eventim Apollo

Tickets on Sale:

Three presale: Wednesday 21st February 10am

AEG Presents, AXS, Ticketmaster and venue presales: Thursday 22nd February 10am

General on sale: Friday 23rd February 10am

15 more bands for Bloodstock

The main RONNIE JAMES DIO stage and the SOPHIE stage boasts some of metal’s biggest names, both international and homegrown. But no less exciting is the NEW BLOOD stage, which offers emerging talent the chance to play an internationally renown festival. The METAL TO THE MASSES initiative works hard scouring the length and breadth of the country to discover the UK’s best new talent, hosting heats where bands will compete for a coveted spot at BLOODSTOCK.

This year, the quality of the unsigned bands on offer is outstanding, resulting in the NEW BLOOD stage’s most exciting line up to date. With sold out finals up and down the country in 200 – 600 capacity venues, as well as reaching over the borders to include talent from abroad – as well as rewarding homegrown talent with the opportunity to play partner festivals abroad, WACKEN andMETALCAMP, the future of UK metal has never looked so bright, and with this latest batch there may well be a futureBLOODSTOCK headliner in amongst them.

On the Friday, EXILE THE TRAITOR bring their melodic death metal to the NEW BLOOD stage, joined by Brummie death metallersKATALEPTIC, Norwich thrashers KILLER HURTS, Romanian experimentalists KRESPUSKUL, Manchester bruisers MY WOODEN PILLOW, Liverpool’s SCARE TACTICS and WALKING THEO from Selby.

Saturday sees Welsh trad-metallers APOLLYON join midlands doomsters COSMIC VORTEX OF DOOM and all the way from Croatia,RATHER, while the Sunday offers Nottingham glamsters AIRSTRYKE, Cypriot death/thrash/groove combo BLYND, Welsh sludge monsters HAKIN, Nottingham Trash-Merchants INCINERY and Preston Industrialists SA – DA – KO.

Simon Hall, who has been overlooking METAL 2 THE MASSES can't help being excited by the talent on display:

This year's Metal 2 The Masses has blown me away with the diversity and talent that is turning heads within the UK underground scene. The quality of The Newblood Stage is undeniable and I can't wait to unleash these bands on Bloodstock along with some more to come in the next week or so!

Whatever you do, make sure you stick your head into the NEW BLOOD stage and support new bands – you may discover the next big thing!

BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2012 takes place at Catton Hall August 9th – 12th. Tickets are available from www.bloodstock.uk.com

Line Up So Far:

RONNIE JAMES DIO STAGE

ALICE COOPER

MACHINE HEAD

BEHEMOTH

ANVIL – WATAIN – PARADISE LOST – DIMMU BORGIR – HATEBREED – CORROSION OF CONFORMITY – SANCTUARY – GRAND MAGUS – THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER – EVILE – NILE – MAYHEM – LOCK UP – SEPULTURA – ICED EARTH – TESTAMENT – CHTHONIC – DIO DISCIPLES – CROWBAR – BENEDICTION – I AM I – MOONSORROW – FREEDOM CALL KOBRA & THE LOTUS

SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE in association with Last.FM

ALCEST – ORANGE GOBLIN – ANAAL NATHRAKH

ALCEST – ORANGE GOBLIN – ANAAL NATHRAKH – HEADCHARGER – WINTERFYLLETH DEMONIC RESURRECTION – EASTERN FRONT – ANCIENT ASCENDANT – SIGHT OF EMPTINESS – PRIMITAI – PYTHIA – CRIMES OF PASSION – SATURNIAN BLOODSHOT DAWN – RE-ARMED – GONOREAS – COMMANDER IN CHIEF – RISING DREAM – INFERNAL TENEBRA – NOCTEFERIA – MARIONETTE- FURYON – DERISION – BATALLION – WITCHSORROW – DRIPBACK – SAVAGE MESSIAH – FLAYED DISCIPLE – VIKING SKULL – DEATH VALLEY KNIGHTS – SWEET SAVAGE –

PRITCHARD Vs DAINTON – STEVE HUGHES

NEW BLOOD STAGE

DOOMED – GONE TIL WINTER – HURON – FALLEN FATE – REIGN OF FURY –DREAMCATCHER – REFLECTIONS IN EXILE – INFERNAL CREATION – CAMBION – WARHORSE – MERCILESS FAIL – STORMBORN – TEMPUS FUSION – WRETCHED SOUL – A THOUSAND ENEMIES – SHATTERED SKIES-  EXILE THE TRAITOR – KATALEPTIC – KILLER HURTS –  KRESPUSKUL – MY WOODEN PILLOW – SCARE TACTICS – WALKING THEO APOLLYON – COSMIC VORTEX OF DOOM – RATHER – AIRSTRYKE – BLYND HAKIN – INCINERY –  SA – DA – KO.

Testament added to Bloodstock 2012 lineup

One of the first thrash bands to emerge from the San Francisco Bay Area, debut album “The Legacy” put TESTAMENT at the forefront of the thrash metal scene, where they have remained for the best part of thirty years.

Testament

Says guitarist Eric Peterson:

“We're excited to play the "Bloodstock Festival" again! this time with some new material to play! Can't wait for the UK to hear our "Dark Roots Of Earth!" See Ya!”

With nine studio albums under their belt – two of which boasting top 40 chart positions in the UK – and a new album on its way, TESTAMENT come armed with no shortage of classic thrash anthems. One of the few bands to consistently put out genuinely exciting and fresh material throughout their career, the promise of hearing songs from the likes of The Legacy, The New Order, Practice What You Preach, Souls Of Black, The Ritual, Low, Demonic, The Gathering and The Formation Of Damnation – as well as new material – is enough to whet any headbangers appetite, and one many will find impossible to resist.

With tickets selling faster than ever before, BLOODSTOCK 2012 is destined for a sell-out this year. Over 100 bands – the majority of which are exclusive appearances – and a ticket price of only £115 for four days of metal magic INCLUDING camping – BLOODSTOCK offers metalheads the most attractive ticket in the UK. Get yours now from www.bloodstock.uk.com

Alice Cooper to headline Bloodstock 2012

Unless you’ve had your head buried in the sand for the last five decades, the godfather of theatrical rock needs no introduction, and needless to say, organisers are delighted to have such a prolific and legendary artist join the BLOODSTOCK line up. Festival booker Vicky Gregory comments:

Alice Cooper"As Bloodstock organisers but more importantly Huge fans of Alice Cooper, we are thrilled to have such an iconic artist close proceedings on the Sunday night! We have been after Alice for a number of years and are extremely excited to see him grace the Ronnie James Dio stage and guarantee this will be a performance not to be missed"

An ALICE COOPER concert is always a memorable event, and there are few artists out there capable of putting on such a thrillingly entertaining show. BLOODSTOCK attendees are in for quite a treat if the recent shows are anything to go by. From the moment he takes to the stage as a giant spider your senses are assaulted with fireworks, mock executions, simulated sex (with the dead of course), snakes, monsters and zombies, asALICE delivers hit after hit from his decades long career. 
 
With a back catalogue that includes timeless classic such as “Schools’s Out”, “No More Mr Nice Guy”, “Welcome To My Nightmare”, “Hey Stoopid”, “Feed My Frankenstein” and recent single “I’ll Bite Your Face Off”, ALICE’s set at BLOODSTOCK will be impossible to not enjoy, and will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the festival’s history for many years to come.
 
With a world class headliner already in place and two more to be announced – as well as over 100 bands from across the world of hard rock and metal – there is no festival offering better value, with four day weekend camping tickets available at just £90 if booked before 15th December.

BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2012 takes place at Catton Hall August 9th – 12th. Four day camping tickets for next year’s event are available now at bloodstock.uk.com  for just £90 (plus booking fee) until 15th December.