QUEEN legend Roger Taylor is heading to Liverpool and Manchester as part of his new album tour next month.  

Marking his first live performances outside Queen in over two decades, the rock drumming icon and multi-instrumentalist is off on a 14-date UK solo tour to coincide with the release of his latest solo album Outsider, which is out this Friday.

The tour opens at Newcastle O2 Academy on Saturday October 2, followed by dates across the UK that conclude at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on Friday October 22.

He is at Manchester Academy 1 on Sunday (October 3); 02 Academy Liverpool on Friday, October 8 and Norwich Unversity on Saturday, October 9.

For full tour details see http://www.rogertaylorofficial.com/ 

With the pandemic putting Queen + Adam Lambert’s epic UK and European tour on pause until 2022, the acclaimed drummer has decided to hit the road for a set of intimate shows.

They will feature brand new material and, of course, his very own Queen classics, showcasing his distinctive percussive, vocal and song writing talents that have been integral to Queen’s live and recorded output since 1970.

Looking forward to getting back on tour, Roger said: "For some time now, we've all just been trying to get by.

"Now, it's back to the basics, myself and some great musical pals getting back out there to play some rock.

"Obviously we’ll include some of the Queen classic catalogue, and some of my earlier solo work, but we'll also be introducing them to some of the new stuff. So we hope folks are going to come on down."

As the songwriter of many of Queen's biggest hits and much-loved tracks including A Kind of Magic, Radio Ga Ga, I’m In Love With My Car, Sheer Heart Attack and These Are the Days of Our Lives, while also being one of rock’s most distinctive vocalists, Roger promises a solo tour with an enthusiastic foray into Queen and his own classic catalogues, while also including new songs written in lockdown that feature on the multi-instrumentalist’s new Outsider album.

Joining Roger for the tour are Queen + Adam Lambert's keyboardist Spike Edney and supporting drummer Tyler Warren, plus guitarist Jason Falloon and Goldfrapp live players keyboardist Angie Pollock and bassist Charlie Jones.

Outsider is Roger's first album of new material since 2013’s Fun On Earth.

Over the last decade, he has released the occasional solo track reflecting on his worldview and observations in songs like Journey’s End, Gangsters Are Running This World.

His most recent was Isolation, which was written and recorded in response to the first lockdown last year.

With much of Outsider recorded during lockdown, this new album finds Roger in reflective mood.

A highly personal project, Outsider’s instrumentation is almost entirely performed by Taylor, with his largely restrained vocals matching the album’s contemplative ambience.

But Roger does cut loose along the way with a foray into some hard-riffing blues-rock as well as an adrenalin charged BIG surprise retread of a classic 1965 novelty song, which is exactly the fun on earth we need in these challenging times.

Across the record he conveys a palpable sense of seclusion, concerns over the passing of time, and tellingly, dedicates it "to all the outsiders, those who feel left on the sidelines".

On recording the Outsider album, he said: "I've had a bit of a creative spurt and suddenly found myself with an album, which was lovely.

"It was a surprise!

"I just found myself in the studio and they came out one after the other.

"It was a pleasure really."