WIRRAL singer songwriter, Bill Ryder-Jones' fifth album, Iechyd Da, is released today (Friday, January 12).

Bill, 40, from West Kirby, co-founded The Coral, together with James Skelly, Lee Southall, Paul Duffy, and Ian Skelly, playing as their lead guitarist from 1996 until 2008.

He has since pursued a solo career, writing both his own albums and film scores, as well as producing records for other artists and appearing as a session musician with the likes of the Arctic Monkeys.

The new album has already received rave reviews with The Guardian describing it as "extraordinary" and Uncut adding, "Iechyd Da is an album that confirms Ryder-Jones as one of Britain’s finest songwriters”.

 “I love this album,” said Bill. Recorded at his Yawn studios in West Kirby, Ryder-Jones took a deeply wide-screen approach to making the album - one that has Mick Head reading Ulysses over an instrumental one moment (...And the Sea…) to sampling the Brazilian singer Gal Costa (I Know That It’s Like This (Baby)) – Bill even got children involved.

The name of the album means good health in Welsh; “Over the years my music has lost a bit of its hope I reckon,” said Bill. “It was important for me to make a record that had more hope in it. Even by my standards the last few years have been rocky, but I’ve chosen to soundtrack it with more positive music, you know?” 

Upcoming 2024 live dates

Friday 12th January – Rough Trade East, London - solo

Saturday 13th January – Spillers, Cardiff - solo

Tuesday 16th January – Monorail, Glasgow - solo

Wednesday 17th January – Piccadilly, Manchester – solo

Thursday 18th January - Applestump Records, Nantwich - solo

Tuesday 12th March – Room 2, Glasgow

Wednesday 13th March - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds

Friday 15th March – The Castle & Falcon, Birmingham

Saturday 16th March – New Century Hall, Manchester

Sunday 17th March – Thekla, Bristol

Tuesday 19th March – CHALK, Brighton

Wednesday 20th March – Islington Assembly Hall, London

Thursday 21st March – Content, Liverpool

Saturday 23rd March – Paradiso, Amsterdam

Sunday 24th March – Hafenklang, Hamburg

Monday 25th March – Kantine am Berghain, Berlin

Wednesday 27th March – Trix Bar, Antwerp

Thursday 28th March – La Maroquinerie, Paris

Saturday 30th March – The Workman’s Club, Dublin

Sunday 31st March – Black Box, Belfast