Punch Brothers have announced a series of UK and Ireland tour dates in July 2008, in support of their critically acclaimed debut album, ‘Punch’ which was released through Nonesuch Records in February.

The band, composer-singer-mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile’s new venture, includes Chris Eldridge (guitar), Greg Garrison (bass), Noam Pikelny (banjo), and Gabe Witcher (fiddle).

This tour follows sold out concerts in Glasgow and London in January this year, and this latest UK leg comprises seven dates, beginning in Dublin on July 11 and ending in Manchester on July 18. Also included is a London date at the Arts Theatre on Monday July 14.

Tickets are on sale now.

Punch Brothers summer UK + Ireland 2008 tour dates:

(Dates and information are subject to change.)

July 11 Friday - Sugar Club, Dublin + 353 (0)818 719300 & www.ticketmaster.ie
July 12 Saturday - Trinity Centre, Bristol 0844 847 1588 & www.ticketmaster.co.uk
July 13 Sunday - Glee Club, Birmingham 0844 847 1588 & www.ticketmaster.co.uk
July 14 Monday - Arts Theatre, London 0844 847 1588 & www.ticketmaster.co.uk
July 16 Wednesday - The Sage, Gateshead 0191 443 4661& www.thesagegateshead.org
July 17 Thursday - Oran Mor, Glasgow 0844 847 1588 & www.ticketmaster.co.uk
July 18 Friday - Academy 2, Manchester 0844 847 1588 & www.ticketmaster.co.uk

The line-up of Punch Brothers is formidable. Chris Thile released the first of five solo albums when he was just thirteen and, by the time he was 20, he was attracting a following among pop, country, and alternative-rock audiences as a member of the Grammy Award winning Nickel Creek. NPR’s Bob Boilen recently said, “I’ve seen many musicians in my day, but my jaw dropped listening to and watching Thile play… The command he had of his instrument, from frenetically fast strumming to tasty quiet fills, it was just first-rate.” His band-mates are also among the most in-demand performers in the worlds of bluegrass, folk, and traditional music.

‘Punch’ is centred around Thile’s four-movement composition, “The Blind Leaving the Blind”, which they will be performing on tour. “I had this idea of a long-form composition that was grounded in folk music,” Thile explained, “Though much of it reads like a string quintet, there are parts that read like a jazz lead sheet.” “There is plenty of improvising and lots of stuff that is loosely dictated.” Mojo said of the album, “Punch’s speedy elegance and emotional depths counterbalance sheer instrumental craft and dazzle”, with the Sunday Express describing the first movement of “The Blind Leading The Blind” as “the most startling 12 minutes of music I have heard this year.”

Read what others are saying:

“Can anyone, anywhere, play anything any better than Chris Thile plays the mandolin? (Clue: they can’t.)” - The Word

“Punch’s speedy elegance and emotional depths counterbalance sheer instrumental craft and dazzle.” - Mojo

“Breathtakingly impressive stuff.” - Independent

“It takes only a cursory listen to Punch Brothers’ new album, Punch, to guess why a section of fans may have been startled. As a portrait of an artist defining his musical territory, Punch is remarkable.” - The Times

“What we have here is a new musical style. Is it folk-classical, or maybe art-bluegrass? It’s certainly intriguing, unusual and very classy. The set is based around the extraordinary virtuoso playing, writing and singing of Chris Thile, who manages to move the American country-folk scene into an unexpected direction.” - * * * * Guardian

Nonesuch Records

Punch Brothers Official Website
Punch Brothers Myspace