Ian Anderson Commemorates

40th Anniversary Of Jethro Tull’s Groundbreaking Album

“Thick As A Brick”

While busy with a string of highly anticipated UK acoustic shows, Ian Anderson announces he will hit the road again in April 2012 for a 19 date UK tour commemorating the 40th Anniversary of Jethro Tull’s 1972 Billboard No. 1 ‘Thick As A Brick’.

The band’s chart-topping record will be played in its entirety – as initially recorded – for the first time since its original tour in 1972. ‘Thick as a Brick’ was a concept album based on a poem written by a fictitious 10 year old boy Gerald Bostock – in reality Anderson himself, who wrote both music and lyrics. It only featured one seamless 45 minutes long track, although it was split to accommodate the album on vinyl and cassette. It reached number 5 in the UK charts

‘Thick As A Brick – Whatever happened to Gerald Bostock’ promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime musical experience, rediscovering a timeless milestone of progressive rock. The performances will also incorporate video projection and other theatrical elements. Ian Anderson performs some of his finest work with the added maturity and skill acquired across a 40 years strong career.

Anderson says: “I never thought I would do this music again in its entirety but, over the last couple of years, I have grown to rather like the idea and the prospect of a Prog moment of profound excess. Question is: will I now become filled with some dark and nefarious need to take this murky, anal business further? You never know….. “

Widely recognized as the man who introduced the flute to rock music, Ian also plays ethnic flutes and whistles together with acoustic guitar and the mandolin family of instruments, providing the acoustic textures which have been an integral part of most of the Tull repertoire and his solo material. In recent years, he has toured more and more under his own name in solo concerts with orchestras, string quartets, featured soloists and in his other eclectic acoustic shows.

During the ‘Thick As a Brick’ tour Anderson will be joined by John O’Hara on keyboards, David Goodier on bass, Florian Opahle on guitar and Scott Hammond on drums as well as guest performers.

Full details are:

APRIL 14th Perth Concert Hall 15th Glasgow Theatre Royal 17th Newcastle City Hall 18th Liverpool Philharmonic 19th Sheffield City Hall 20th Blackburn St George’s Hall 21st Harrogate Royal Hall 22nd Manchester Opera House 24th Derby Assembly Rooms 25th Ipswich Regent Theatre 27th London Hammersmith Apollo 28th Bristol Colston Hall 29th High Wycombe The Swan Theatre 30th Birmingham Symphony Hall MAY 2nd Oxford Apollo 3rd Reading Hexagon 4th Guildford G Live 5th Cardiff St David’s Hall 6th Southampton Guildhall

Doors open at 7.30pm except for Southampton – 7pm. Tickets are onsale from www.gigantic.com and are subject to booking fee.

After 44 years of leading Tull to 54 countries worldwide and over 60 million albums sold, Ian Anderson celebrates a true progressive rock classic with old and new fans across the UK for a whole three weeks. Anderson is known as the flute and voice of the legendary Jethro Tull, formed in the North of England in 1968 from the amalgamation of blues-based John Evan Band and McGregor’s Engine. Since their first performance at London’s famous Marquee Club in 1968, the band has released 30 studio and live albums and earned a prominent place in rock history.

As well as releasing Aqualung (40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition) through EMI Records on 31st October, Anderson is also planning 3 Charity Cathedral Christmas shows in December:

December 10th Canterbury Cathedral(with Bruce Dickinson & Justin Hayward) 16th Salisbury Cathedral

19th Manchester Cathedral