Music
Interview
Interview: Shane Filan prepares for his new UK dates
The second leg of his Love Always tour kicks off on the 30 April 2018.
Having toured the UK in the autumn of 2017 celebrating the release of his Love Always album, a record that saw Shane Filan cover his favourite love ballads as well as offering some original tracks, he is now preparing to return to the UK following a stint in Asia, kicking off the second leg of his tour on the 30 April in Gateshead.
Promising more hits from his album, as well as a few special surprises, we caught up with Shane to find out how things have been going, and what to expect from his next run of dates.
Read our interview below.
How are you feeling ahead of the second UK leg of your tour?
Excited. Obviously doing a second leg is always great, getting to do new cities and play new places. This tour’s been going for six months now, and I’ve been in Asia for a while now, so it’ll be nice to come back to the tour bus and no airports. I can just chill and really enjoy going from city to city.
How did you find the first leg of dates?
I love being on tour. There’s nothing better than being on the bus with your whole band and crew. You get to have your family over to some of the shows. We have a lot of fun when the kids come over. The tour bus has bunk beds so the kids get excited about that. And we get to do it all again now, so everyone is looking forward to it.
Is there anything you’ve learned from the first leg that might change up the new dates?
The show will be slightly tweaked. Just new ideas, like changing up the production and setlist. There’s going to be a couple of new songs that I didn’t do the last time. Just songs that fans have asked for. There’s one song that fans have asked for that I didn’t have in there so I’m going to put it in.
The actual show itself will be similar to the last show, just a slightly better version of it. It’s funny; when you’re on tour you notice things you’d like to change.
Is there any song you really look forward to singing?
Heaven by Bryan Adams. It’s my favourite song in the setlist, and my favourite from the Love Always album. I’ve wanted to sing it since I was six or seven years old. Bryan Adams is one of my musical icons; I think he’s just an incredible singer and artist. It’s a beautiful song to sing with incredible lyrics.
You’ve been touring for a while now. Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give yourself starting off now?
I’ve never really thought about it, you know. The touring side has been really good. This is the third album and the third tour. It’s a lot of fun. At the start I was probably a bit more apprehensive about it all, a bit more nervous. Coming out of a band like Westlife and starting out on your own is definitely a bit daunting. Maybe I would say to relax a little bit more.
The first night of the first tour was very scary, but after that I really enjoyed it. There’s nothing really much that I’d change. It’s progressed nicely every year. We’ve got it down to a fine art now, with the amount of gigs and tours we’ve done. I just really enjoy it.
So it didn’t take long to adapt to the solo touring life?
No it didn’t. It was a daunting experience, and something I wasn’t used to. When you’re on your own and see your name on the tickets, and the doors, and catering, and all that craic, it’s a bit weird. It takes a bit of getting used to. But the support I have had in the past five years from the fans has been incredible. They keep coming back, and seeing the shows. Hopefully I’m delivering a great show to them every night. I really can’t complain.
Catch Shane on the following dates across the UK:
30 April 2018 – Sage, Gateshead
1 May 2018 – De Montfort Hall, Leicester
2 May 2018 – City Hall, Sheffield
4 May 2018 – City Hall, Hull
5 May 2018 – New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham
6 May 2018 – Royal and Derngate, Northampton
7 May 2018 – Regent Theatre, Ipswich
9 May 2018 – Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells
10 May 2018 – Corn Exchange, Cambridge
11 May 2018 – G Live, Guildford
12 May 2018 – Opera House, Manchester
14 May 2018 – Grand Theatre, Swansea
15 May 2018 – Olympia, Liverpool
16 May 2018 – Theatre Royal, Glasgow
Remaining tickets for Shane Filan’s UK tour dates are available now through Ticketmaster.co.uk.
