Strawberry Guy’s lush bedroom psychedelia steps into the real world with strings-backed US + UK tour dates
Strawberry Guy UK / EU Dates 2023
23 Sep 23 – Paris, FR, Supersonic (All Ages)
24 Sep 23 – London, UK, Kings Place (All Ages)
10 Nov 23 – Liverpool, UK, Philharmonic Music Hall (All Ages)
Strawberry Guy USA Dates 2023
29 Nov 23 – Brooklyn NY, Baby’s All Right (All Ages)
01 Dec 23 – Toronto ON, Rivoli (19+)
03 Dec 23 – Chicago IL, Schubas (All Ages)
05 Dec 23 – Los Angeles CA, Barnsdall Gallery Theatre (All Ages)
06 Dec 23 – San Francisco CA, Cafe Du Nord (All Ages)
08 Dec 23 – Portland OR, The Old Church (All Ages)
09 Dec 23 – Seattle WA, Woodlawn Hall (All Ages)
10 Dec 23 – Vancouver BC, Wise Hall (19+)
Listen to “F Song (Strings Version)” out now, here
Stepping out of the bedroom and into the Real World, Liverpool’s Strawberry Guy (Alex Stephens) prepares for an upcoming run of special shows across the UK and the US by releasing reimagined strings versions of fan favorites “F Song” and “Mrs. Magic.” Today, Strawberry Guy shares the Craig McLaughlin-directed camcorder video for “F Song (Strings Version).”
Heading down to Peter Gabriel’s idyllic Real World Studios with Manchester’s Northern Session Collective in tow, Strawberry Guy set about trying to soften and expose the bare bones of these two original tracks. Stripped of drums & synths, the music is pared down to piano and romantic new strings arrangement, bringing the careful melodies & indrawn lyrics to the fore. Join Strawberry Guy at Real World Studios for a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the creative process HERE.
Having recorded the original tracks in his Liverpool bedroom, swapping the originals’ string samples for their real-life counterparts lends the tracks an even more ethereal quality than the self-produced originals. The trip to Real World marks a first foray into studio recording for Strawberry Guy, and a new high-fidelity direction for the project, as he begins the process of making his sophomore album.
The vinyl edition of these new songs is out November 10, and features the two new strings versions along with the originals of both tracks, meaning fans can finally get their hands on a physical version of early single “F Song.”
Fans will have the chance to hear both strings versions in the flesh alongside reworkings of the rest of the Strawberry catalogue in two special shows at Liverpool Philharmonic & London’s Kings Place. He then returns to the US for his second headline tour where he’ll be joined by a string quartet for his New York & Los Angeles shows, amidst a run that takes him to both coasts and up into Canada. Tickets are available via Spotify Fans First pre-sale now, while general on-sale begins on Friday, September 8. Full tour dates below.
While the music of Strawberry Guy favors a hermetic, headphones-forward sound lying somewhere between Bryter Layter-era Nick Drake, The Clientele, Slowdive’s Pygmalion, and the psychedelic 70s output of fellow Liverpudlian Paul McCartney, it’s nonetheless become a smash on TikTok. As detailed in this NME profile, the dreamy “Mrs. Magic” is closing in on a quarter-billion streams. Keep an eye out for the impending strings version of “Mrs. Magic.”