THE RACONTEURS ANNOUNCE UK AND EUROPEAN HEADLINE TOUR! Vault members get first dibs on tickets in tomorrow’s pre-sale! https://t.co/yLDJ5xTyUA pic.twitter.com/Xhj1lASFCS

— The Vault (@TMRVault) March 19, 2019

The band had previously announced they will be supporting The Headliners, The Strokes, at All Points East Festival this summer, as well as playing at Heartland Festival in Denmark and Orange Warsaw Festival & Best Kept Secret festival, both in Poland. Today’s announcement fills in the time between these festivals with a selection of shows across France, Belgium and Germany.

The ‘supergroup’ made up of the unique and iconic Jack White, who found fame first with the White Stripes and later with his solo material. Supporting White on vocal and guitar is Brendan Benson, the solo musician with 6 albums including ‘One Mississippi’ (1996) and The Alternative To Love (2005). Alongside these two rock heavy weights are Patrick Keeler of the Greenhorns on drums and Jack Lawrence on bass.  

So far the band have released two albums, 2006’s Broken Boy Solider, which reached number 2 in the UK Charts, and 2008’s ‘Consolers Of The Lonely’ which reached number 8. Since then the band had seemed to be on an unofficial break whilst the musicians pursued other projects, notably ‘The Dead Weather’. A few days before today’s news however the band announced their third album has been finished. 

The. Album. Is. Done. #brendanbenson#jacklawrence#jackwhite#patrickkeeler#theraconteurs#newalbum#finished#raconteurspic.twitter.com/YeNAIFvUqN — Third Man Records (@thirdmanrecords) March 15, 2019

Last year Jack White released his third solo album ‘Boarding House Reach’ which received great critical acclaim and a 5 star review in the NME. Speaking in the NME Leonie Cooper described the album as  “Those wanting a taste of the old Jack won’t be left wanting either. ‘What’s Done Is Done’ brings his way with a bluegrassy ballad bang up to date while opener ‘Connected By Love’ balances his fondness for experimentalism with a powerful melody and universal message. The old Jack is still there, certainly, but we’re far more excited about what the new one has up his sleeves”

After the success of the the band’s last two albums, and the incredible success of Jack White’s solo work over the past few years, fans are hungry for more material from The Detroit based rockers, and are hoping that today’s announcements will steadily be increased as more festival line ups are announced. And judging by the band’s quotes, they seem confident the album will be a success. 

The Raconteurs: “We’ve just finished making the rock ‘n’ roll album you’ve been waiting for” https://t.co/VKB024xblu pic.twitter.com/OC72Ks2xVS

— NME (@NME) March 15, 2019

The Raconteurs European Tour Dates:
25/05/19 – All Points East, London, UK
26/05 – Olympia, Paris, France
27/05 – Cirque Royal, Brussels, Belgium
28/05 – E-Werk, Cologne, Germany
30/05 – Verti Music Hall, Berlin, Germany
31/05 – Heartland Festival, Kvaerndrup, Denmark
1/06 – Orange Warsaw Festival, Warsaw, Poland
2/06– Best Kept Secret, Hilvarenbeek, Poland  

White is due to conclude his current UK stint with three dates at London’s famous Hammersmith Apollo in late June, but will be returning as soon as mid-October with five nationwide dates, as part of a greater European tour. You can see the full list of new, and previously established dates, below.

In addition to the release of a much-anticipated LP, White has also made headlines this year for banning mobile phones across all of his concerts. White described his decision as ‘an art experiment’, claiming that it would have been ‘funny’, if his audience had ‘got mad and demanded their money back’ upon hearing about the rule.

“I really react to the crowd, just like a stand-up comedian would,” White elaborated. “If I finish a song and go, ‘Ta-da!’, and it’s crickets, I’m like, ‘Well, I don’t know what to do now.’ Am I supposed to play a heavier song, a faster song? Do you want me to play acoustic? Do you want me to leave? I’ll leave!”

26/06/2018 – Eventim Apollo
27/06– Eventim Apollo
28/06– Eventim Apollo
16/10– Centre- Brighton
17/10– O2 Academy- Birmingham
18/10 – Hull Venue- Hull
20/10 – Space by Echo Arena- Liverpool
21/10– Usher Hall- Edinburgh