UFO announce 50th anniversary UK & Ireland tour

The influential hard rockers will play a total of 22 shows opening at Bristol O2 Academy on Thursday 7th March and wrapping up four weeks later at London Shepherd’s Bush Empire on Thursday 4th April.

Tickets go on sale from Planet Rock Tickets at 9am on Friday 31st August.

As well as commemorating their half-Century landmark, the dates will be their last UK & Ireland shows with sole constant member Phil Mogg as frontman.

Phil announced his retirement in May, saying: “This decision has been a long time coming, I’ve considered stepping down at the end of UFO’s previous two tours. I don’t want to call this a farewell tour as I hate that word, but next year’s gigs will represent my final tap-dancing appearances with the band.

“2019 marks UFO’s 50th anniversary, so the timing feels right. There will be a final tour of the UK and we will also play some shows in selected other cities that the band has a strong connection with. But outside of the UK this won’t be a long tour.

“Being out on the road isn’t always tremendously luxurious and although the playing is as great as it ever was, the stuff that surrounds it becomes very tiresome. I always told myself that when I reached that stage I would step down, and that’s what I’m going to do. This is the right time for me to quit.”

Alongside guitarist Mick Bolton, bassist Pete Way, and drummer Andy Parker, Mogg formed Hocus Pocus in London in 1968 and they later changed their name to UFO in October 1969.

Last year’s covers collection ‘The Salentino Cuts’ is Phil’s swansong release for the band as he has confirmed he will no longer be recording any new material.

Despite the end of his half-Century tenure being imminent, Phil said that he would have no issues with UFO’s current line-up of Paul Raymond, Vinnie Moore, Rob De Luca and co-founding member Andy Parker continuing without him.

“For me, this is the end of my stint with UFO,” he clarifies. “This is a line in the sand. I’m suggesting we call the tour ‘Last Orders’, though I also like ‘The Bar Is Closing’. I’m also tempted to name it ‘The Drinks Are On Parker’.”

Summing up the announcement in one word, Mogg finished: “Maybe the best word to use is ‘bittersweet’. But my time has arrived and all that remains is to make sure that we have a good tour.”

See UFO at the following shows:

MARCH 2019
Bristol O2 Academy – Thu 7th
Leamington Spa The Assembly – Fri 8th
Oxford O2 Academy – Sat 9th
Bournemouth O2 Academy – Sun 10th
Cardiff Tramshed – Tue 12th
Birmingham Town Hall – Thu 14th
Pwllheli Hard Rock Hell AOR Fest – Fri 15th
Manchester O2 Ritz – Sat 16th
Leeds O2 Academy – Sun 17th
Dublin Academy – Tue 19th
Belfast The Limelight 1 – Wed 20th
Cambridge The Junction – Fri 22nd
Northampton Roadmender – Sat 23rd
Norwich The Waterfront – Sun 24th
Nottingham Rock City – Tue 26th
Newcastle O2 Academy – Thu 28th
Edinburgh Queen’s Hall – Fri 29th
Inverness Ironworks – Sat 30th
Glasgow O2 Academy – Sun 31st

APRIL 2019
Hull City Hall – Tue 2nd
Southampton The Brook - Wed 3rd
London Shepherd’s Bush Empire – Thu 4th

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*Not on sale via Planet Rock Tickets