The Black Keys embark on a sold out tour of Europe in January and February to coincide with the release of their critically acclaimed new album, El Camino, including dates in Nottingham, Edinburgh, two in Manchester, and three at London's Alexandra Palace (see below for details).
Released to widespread critical acclaim in December on Nonesuch Records, El Camino debuted at # 2 on the Billboard Top 200 and has already been certified Silver in the UK, Gold in Australia, and Platinum in Canada. Produced by Danger Mouse and The Black Keys, the 11-track album was recorded in the band's new hometown of Nashville during the spring of 2011. El Camino includes the hit single 'Lonely Boy', the video for which has been viewed over six million times on YouTube, as well as the forthcoming 'Gold On The Ceiling', which will be released on March 5.
Describing the sound of the album, drummer Patrick Carney tells Rolling Stone, "Every record, we figure out the mood and stick with that. With Brothers, we were listening to a lot of hip-hop and old R&B and drawing from that. This is the first record we've made where it's all rock & roll." And in an interview with Spin singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach says, "I've never been into guitar solos. I really like when every instrument in the band is a rhythm instrument. This record has a lot of that going on – guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards all working together as a rhythm instrument. But unlike Brothers, which has more of these slower songs with an open feeling, [the new LP] is definitely fast."
European Tour Schedule – January & February 2012
Mon Jan 23 Lotto, Antwerp, Belgium
Tue Jan 24 Zenith, Lille, France
Wed Jan 25 Zenith, Paris, France
Fri Jan 27 Sporthalle, Hamburg, Germany
Sat Jan 28 Arena, Berlin, Germany
Mon Jan 30 Alcatraz, Milan, Italy
Tue Jan 31 Maag Hall, Zurich, Switzerland .
Wed Feb 1 Klokgebouw, Eindhoven, Holland
Fri Feb 3 Capital FM Arena, Nottingham, UK
Sat Feb 4 Corn Exchange, Edinburgh, UK
Mon Feb 6 Apollo, Manchester, UK
Tue Feb 7 Apollo, Manchester, UK
Thu Feb 9 Alexandra Palace, London, UK
Fri Feb 10 Alexandra Palace, London, UK
Sat Feb 11 Alexandra Palace, London, UK