Los Angeles singer-songwriter Emma Ruth Rundle has unfortunately been forced to postpone her upcoming UK and European tour, which was originally slated to begin on the 5th of February in Dampierre, France, and conclude on February 26th in Lisbon, Portugal. Rundle is still scheduled to appear at Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands in April, as well as ArcTanGent Festival in Bristol, UK in August. Ticket information for Roadburn can be found here, and for ArcTanGent here.
Rundle posted a statement on Instagram yesterday (18th of January) announcing the cancellation, saying: “This is not fun for me. This is not fun for you. The tour must be postponed. Tickets are still valid and we will announce new dates soon. Please understand that touring has been my main source of income and that not being able to do this work – going into year three – is less than ideal – It is however logistically impossible to tour right now due to the myriad covid restrictions.”
She added: “I want to thank @swampbooking who have put in more than half a year’s work into the planning of this special tour and who are working very hard on moving it to a later time in the year…I appreciate all the support you have shown me and my new work. I hope that you can understand and that I’ll see you later in the year. Much love, err.” You can read the full statement above.
The initial tour announcement came just a few weeks after the release of Rundle’s fifth studio album, Engine of Hell. The record has been received very well by both fans and critics alike. In a glowing review, Kerrang! said of the record: “This latest release sees the flesh of Emma’s music flayed to its bare bones; every track is a simplistic combination of her voice and either an acoustic guitar or a piano…The lyrics are wrought with dark meaning and somber emotion, and the lack of accompanying instruments makes their impact all the more poignant.”
Anyone who has listened to Rundle’s catalogue can tell you that Engine of Hell is one of her most intimate releases to date. The instrumentals are much more stripped down than usual; typically, Rundle totes an electric guitar both live and in studio, but here, we see frequent use of acoustic guitar and piano. The minimal instrumentation really shines a light on the personal, dark lyrics that Rundle has penned for this record, such as the sombre chorus of “Citadel”; On my way down, most of my life, I was trained how just to lay down, and never ask why, I was trained how, just to stay down, where it’s safe now.” The album can be found on all streaming services, and physical media can be purchased here.
UPDATE 09/02/22
As of the 7th of February, Rundle has officially rescheduled her EU and UK tour. You can view the new UK dates down below. Ticket information for the tour can be found here.
11/08/2022- Bradshaw Hall- Birmingham
12/08- Brudenell Social Club- Leeds
13/08- Gosforth Civic Theatre- Newcastle
14/08- Mackintosh Queen’s Cross- Glasgow
16/08- St. Patrick’s Parish- Belfast
17/08- Dolan’s Music Hall- Limerick
18/08- St. Ann- Dublin
20/08- ArcTanGent Festival- Bristol
21/08- Stoller Hall- Manchester
22/08- Clapham Grand- London
23/08- Komedia- Brighton
