The Manchester duo will release As The World Burns… in September before heading out on a five-date UK headline tour.
Five years after the release of their acclaimed second album Balance, Children of Zeus are getting ready to begin their next chapter. The Manchester duo have announced a new 16-track record, As The World Burns…, alongside a UK headline tour featuring a very special hometown show at Band on the Wall.
The album, their third, is set to arrive on Friday 4 September, with Tyler Daley and Konny Kon picking up the story where they left it. Expect the same mix of street soul, alternative R&B and boom bap hip hop that has defined their music so far, now joined by sounds pulled from their formative years listening to multi-genre pirate radio.
A handful of collaborators have already been revealed. Revered UK rapper Knucks appears on ‘Before We Drown’, Colorado’s Young Old Soul features on ‘Dopamine’ and fellow Manchester artist [ K S R ] joins the pair for ‘Do You Want To Get High’. Australian-Mauritian singer Anieszka completes the announced guest list with ‘Water & Vibes’.
Conceptually, As The World Burns… continues Children of Zeus’ search for what they describe as “sunsets and soulfood”: moments of respite from the personal, professional and global anxieties of the modern world. The title suggests things may have become even more turbulent since Balance, but their ability to find warmth and humanity in difficult places remains firmly intact.
It is now a decade since Children of Zeus released their anthemic debut single ‘Still Standing’. That was followed by The Story So Far, before debut album Travel Light established Tyler and Konny as two of the most distinctive voices in contemporary British soul. Both Travel Light and Balance earned widespread acclaim, bringing award nominations and Album of the Year recognition from the likes of Clash, Bandcamp, Complex and Wordplay.
Since then, Children of Zeus have taken their music considerably further than Manchester. They have recorded sessions for COLORS, Soulection, Boiler Room, BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC 1Xtra at Maida Vale, while touring across Europe, Australia and South Africa. The pair have also collaborated and toured with Mercury Prize winners Ezra Collective, including a show at Wembley Arena.
Their list of collaborators across the years reads like its own history of forward-thinking UK music, taking in Shy FX, Juls, Goldie, Black Milk, Kofi Stone and the late Lenzman. Through it all, Children of Zeus have remained proud ambassadors for Manchester and a constant presence within the fabric of British Black music.
That makes the Band on the Wall date on Friday 6 November one of the standout shows on the newly announced tour. The duo will also visit London, Leeds, Bristol and Birmingham as part of a five-date run throughout November, giving audiences their first opportunity to hear the new album performed live.
The full tour dates are:
- Thursday 5 November – Islington Assembly Hall, London
- Friday 6 November – Band on the Wall, Manchester
- Thursday 12 November – Project House, Leeds
- Saturday 14 November – Strange Brew, Bristol
- Sunday 15 November – Mama Roux’s, Birmingham
Tickets go on general sale at 10am on Friday 31 July through Gigs and Tours and Ticketmaster.
If November feels a little too far away, you can catch Children of Zeus at Live From The Grill, our rooftop BBQ festival at Depot Mayfield this August.