New album coming in October

The new Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan album Public Works and Utilities will be released on Friday 10 October 2025 at 8am via Castles In Space records.

It will be released on streaming, digital, vinyl and CD. The vinyl comes in one colour option - a half solid black and half transparent red disc.

The album will be available on Bandcamp from 8am on Friday 10 October 2025. There will not be any preorders available via Bandcamp. Preorders may be possible via independent record stores, where it will also be available.

So tell me more

The sixth Warrington-Runcorn album continues to explore New Towns and the demise of the post-war consensus. This time Gordon Chapman-Fox’s gaze falls on our public services that have been starved of cash or privatised since 1980.

“It seems ridiculous in hindsight for a developed country to have packed up and sold off vital infrastructure such as power, water or the rail network”, says Gordon. “40 years down the line, and all of these vital industries are barely functional. Their prime function now is to drain cash from our pockets and into the bulging wallets of shareholders.”

Gordon’s anger continues to power his desire to make Warrington-Runcorn a statement for the here and now, rather than an exercise in rose-tinted nostalgia. The People Matter, as side two’s sole track will attest.

“This album very much came from my live shows” says Gordon. “A lot of these tracks were designed to be performed live, and you will have heard quite a few of them if you’ve seen me live in the last year.”

There is a certain rawness to some of the tracks, not to mention an almost upbeat, danceable quality. This is no less atmospheric than previous albums, but it has become fused with an urge to get you to move your feet.

Freak out

You can hear a couple of the tracks, along with a whole range of music I have admired and adored over the years soon. I’ll be presenting an hour long guest mix on Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone in early September, on BBC 6 Music. The date has yet to be confirmed, but shouldn’t be a problem, as you’re all listeners, right?

There’s more

In addition to the release of the long-awaited new album, Castles In Space will also be releasing, at the same time, a CD entitled Appendix I, which will include three EPs previously released on vinyl. These recordings will be available on CD for the first time.

The CD will comprise of 2023’s acoustic tinged Building A New Town EP, the special tracks from 2024’s A Shared Sense Of Purpose single - including the Vince Clarke remix - and 2025’s Overspill Estates EP.

Live dates

And of course, you can see me live across the UK in less than two weeks, over September and October for a series of live dates. Tickets are going fast, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Manchester have both sold out. This is the biggest tour I’ve planned to date, and includes my first dates in Wales and Ireland.

The full tour for 2025 covers:

• Sheffield - Sidney & Matilda - Wednesday 10 September

• Coventry - Just Dropped In - Friday 12 September

• Hebden Bridge - The Trades Club - Saturday 13 September

• Portsmouth - The Wedgewood Rooms - Thursday 18 September

• Ramsgate - Ramsgate Music Hall - Friday 19 September

• Brighton - Dust - Saturday 20 September

• Cardiff - Paradise Garden - Friday 26 September

• Bristol - Rough Trade - Saturday 27 September

• Dublin - Whelans - Thursday 2 October

• Cambridge - The Portland Arms - Thursday 9 October

• Nottingham - The Boat Club - Friday 10 October

• Manchester - The Stoller Hall - Saturday 11 October

• Glasgow - Nice n Sleazy - Thursday 16 October

• Edinburgh - The Mash House - Friday 17 October

• Newcastle-upon-Tyne - The Common Room of the Great North - Saturday 18 October

• London - Rich Mix, Shoreditch - Friday 24 October

Dates for 2026

I’m starting to add live dates for 2026. Liverpool, Leeds and York have been announced along with a trip to Hasselt in Belgium. Be sure to book your tickets early to avoid disappointment!

As ever, many thanks for the love. I’ll hopefully see you on the road!

Gordon