Lighthouse Family announce their first album in 18 years and a UK tour

Multi-million selling musical duo Lighthouse Family have announced their first album in 18 years - and a UK tour including a homecoming North East gig.
Lighthouse Family singer Tunde Baiyewu performing at the Mouth of the Tyne Festival in 2016. Pic: Jane Coltman.Lighthouse Family singer Tunde Baiyewu performing at the Mouth of the Tyne Festival in 2016. Pic: Jane Coltman.
Lighthouse Family singer Tunde Baiyewu performing at the Mouth of the Tyne Festival in 2016. Pic: Jane Coltman.

The band premiered their new single My Salvation on the Ken Bruce's BBC Radio 2 show this morning.

The single comes ahead of their fourth studio album Blue Sky In Your Head, which will be released May 3 on Polydor Records.The band have also announced a UK tour for November, including a hometown show at Newcastle City Hall on November 14.

Lighthouse Family have announced their first album in 18 years.Lighthouse Family have announced their first album in 18 years.
Lighthouse Family have announced their first album in 18 years.
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Vocalist Tunde Baiyewu and keyboardist Paul Tucker formed the act in 1993 in Newcastle, after meeting while studying at university and working at the same bar.

Their 1995 debut album Ocean Drive sold more than 1.8 million copies in the UK alone, and established them as a popular easy listening duo.

It was a slow-burning success, going six times platinum while staying in the album charts for almost three years.

Lifted became one the defining songs of the era, a pop-soul classic that was inescapable on radio, becoming the soundtrack of the high street , drivetime and night-out Britain.

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It was also used as the official campaign song by the Labour Party under Tony Blair in the 2001 general election.

They weren't one-trick ponies, however; they had a string of Top 10 hits, including Lost In Space, Ocean Drive, Raincloud and High, and sold 10 million records before going their separate ways in 2003.

In the intervening years Tucker formed a band, The Orange Lights, while Baiyewu released two solo albums, but the old connection between the pair remained, and in 2010 they got back together with a view to making a fourth album.

Tucker explained: “What happens when Tunde and I get in the studio is, we just drift off – we don’t ever row. There’s no shouting or throwing things. In fact we only ever had one argument - but it lasted 20 years!

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"We’re trying to create something anthemic and uplifting but real. That idea of ‘I know the sun’s gonna shine again’. It’s quintessential Lighthouse Family.“And that’s kind of you what you want Lighthouse Family songs to do: put a Blue Sky In Your Head."

The album will include Essentials, all the band's classic songs remastered for the first time to celebrate their 25-year recording history. They will follow its release with a nine-date UK tour later this year, including a hometown show at Newcastle City Hall on Thursday, November 14, and culminating at the iconic London Palladium on Friday, November 22UK TOUR DATES, NOVEMBER 2019Monday 11 Birmingham Symphony HallWed 13 Glasgow Royal Concert HallThurs 14 Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle City HallFri 15 Nottingham Royal Concert Hall Sun 17 Halifax The Victoria TheatreMon 18 Manchester Bridgewater HallWed 20 Bexhill De La Warr PavilionThu 21 Bournemouth Pavilion TheatreFri 22 London London Palladium

Tickets for all dates go on sale on Friday, March 29.