Newton Faulkner Tickets

After a five-year hiatus from releasing new music, Newton Faulkner returns with ‘Alright Alright Alright’, the lead single from his upcoming eighth studio album, ‘OCTOPUS’.

The acclaimed British singer-songwriter marked this new chapter in November 2024 when he cut his iconic ginger dreadlocks during the finale of his tour at London's Islington Assembly Hall. The haircut, which took place during an acoustic performance of hit single ‘Dream Catch Me,’ benefited Teenage Cancer Trust while symbolising a new direction for Faulkner, both visually and musically.

For Faulkner, this transformation represents more than a simple change in appearance. "I felt like my hair was tying me to the past," he explains. "The guy that sang 'Dream Catch Me' from under a large pile of hair is a distant memory and has been for a while." The artist describes his new direction as "freedom from the past" and embraces authenticity in his creative choices. "This is about letting go, there is no part of this record that is trying to recreate anywhere I've been before, however well it might have gone. This is me, this is my head, this is what I love."

Although only just turning 40, Faulkner's impressive career spans nearly two decades, beginning with his breakthrough debut album ‘Hand Built by Robots’ (2007), which reached #1 in the UK charts and achieved double-platinum status. His success continued with ‘Rebuilt by Humans’ (2009) peaking at #3 and earning Gold certification, followed by his second UK #1 album ‘Write It on Your Skin’ (2012). His subsequent releases include ‘Studio Zoo’ (2013), ‘Human Love’ (2015), ‘Hit the Ground Running’ (2017), and ‘Interference (Of Light)’ (2021), which was released during the challenging conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Alright Alright Alright’ represents a significant departure from Faulkner's previous sound, featuring distorted Hofner Violin Bass instead of his traditional acoustic guitar. "I was in the studio having more fun than anyone should be allowed have at work and I didn't give a f*ck what anyone would think of the track," Faulkner explains. "The fact that it is now the first single of my eighth studio album is mind blowing to me."

The track features vocal contributions from Ukrainian duo The Bloom Twins, whom Faulkner credits with adding "a layer of ice cool surrealism" to the song. "It's also heartbreaking and very eye-opening talking to someone that flies home to Ukraine four times a year," he notes about the collaboration. "When I first met them they had just got back to East London from their family home outside Kyiv where missiles fly over the roof on a regular basis."

‘OCTOPUS’ represents the longest gap between albums in Faulkner's career, providing him time to explore new creative directions. Working from his home studio in East London, Faulkner approached songwriting from fresh perspectives, incorporating diverse sonic elements throughout the album.