Billy Idol back with long awaited new music

Billy Idol is set to release a new EP, The Roadside—his first new release in nearly seven years—on September 17 via Dark Horse Records. Produced by Butch Walker (Green Day, Weezer) and featuring Idol’s longtime lead guitarist and co-writer Steve Stevens, The Roadside was conceived, recorded, and mixed almost entirely during the pandemic. Pre-order The Roadside HERE.

On lead single “Bitter Taste,” he confronts death, rebirth, and his personal growth in the 31 years since a near-fatal motorcycle accident. “I think everyone has been feeling more reflective (during the pandemic). So, it seemed quite logical and natural to write something about my motorcycle accident,” Idol explains in a press release.

“Certainly, the motorcycle accident was the catharsis, the wake-up moment. A little bit of me got left on that roadside. But it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing in the end; it was a wake-up call. Maybe on that roadside I left behind the irreverent youthful Billy and opened the door for a more attentive father and a more sensitive musician.” Listen to/share the song HERE and watch/share the accompanying video directed by Steven Sebring (Patti Smith, Jack White), HERE.

Idol is planning a run of 2021 tour dates. See below. He recently appeared alongside Miley Cyrus during her headlining performance at Lollapalooza.

The Roadside is Idol’s first release on the newly relaunched Dark Horse Records, a label initially created in 1974 by George Harrison and now led by Dhani Harrison and David Zonshine. Other artists currently on Dark Horse include George Harrison himself, Joe Strummer and Ravi Shankar.

“I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Billy Idol to the Dark Horse Records family. Billy is a legend, and his music couldn’t fit the Dark Horse persona any better. I’ve loved his music throughout my whole life, so to be able to give this new music a home on our historic label is a massive honour,” says Dhani Harrison.

Track listing: 

1. Rita Hayworth

2. Bitter Taste
3. U Don’t Have To Kiss Me Like That
4. Baby Put Your Clothes Back On

Tour dates:

August 12––Airway Heights, WA––Northern Quest Resort
August 15––Tulalip, WA–– Tulalip Resort Casino
August 17––Manson, WA––Deep Water Amphitheater
August 19––Saratoga, CA––Mountain Winery
August 21––Napa, CA––Oxbow Riverstage
September 4––Palmer, AK––Alaska Sate Fair
September 18––West Springfield, MA––The Big E
September 19––Asbury Park, NJ––Sea.Hear.Now Festival
September 22––Post Chester, NY––The Capitol Theatre
September 24––Roanoke, VA––Elmwood Park
September 25––Charles Town, WV––Hollywood Casino
October 16-17––Las Vegas, NV––The Cosmopolitan
October 22-23––Las Vegas, NV––The Cosmopolitan
October 26––Playa Mujeres, MX––The Sands Festival