This Is The Kit – Safety Valve
Kate Stables had been dreaming of getting Richard Dawson on a This Is the Kit record, and it took her a while to work up the nerve to ask. “Safety Valve” is where he said yes, and the song is better for having two voices in it. It’s a slow-burning duet dedicated to friends who come to the rescue, the ones who listen without judging, plus the simple relief of getting out on a bike and feeling better. The lyric praises how much courage friendship takes and how good it is when someone is just glad to see you, and with Dawson’s warm, weathered voice next to hers, it sounds exactly like what it describes. “Finest pipes in the business,” as Stables puts it. Recorded at Rockfield with her regular band (Rozi Plain, Neil Smith, Jamie Whitby-Coles, Jesse D. Vernon), it opens seventh album Ghost Coat, due January 15, 2027 on Memphis Industries.
Europe
- November 20: Geneva, CH, Les Créatives at Salle Grand-Salève
- November 21: Vienna, AT, Bluebird Festival
- December 13: Bruges, BE, Duyster Festival at Cactus
- April 23, 2027: Schorndorf, DE, Manufaktur
- April 24, 2027: Zurich, CH, Bogen F
- April 25, 2027: Basel, CH, Kuppel
- April 28, 2027: Heidelberg, DE, Karlstorbahnhof
- April 29, 2027: Berlin, DE, Frannz Club
- May 1, 2027: Copenhagen, DK, Vega
- May 2, 2027: Hamburg, DE, Knust
- May 4, 2027: Paris, FR, Maroquinerie
- May 6, 2027: Antwerp, BE, De Roma
- May 7, 2027: Amsterdam, NL, Tolhuistuin
UK & Ireland
- January 26, 2027: Glasgow, Celtic Connections at Fruitmarket
- January 30, 2027: Bristol, Bristol Beacon
- March 10, 2027: Sheffield, Crookes Social Club
- March 11, 2027: Gateshead, The Glasshouse
- March 12, 2027: Liverpool, Hangar34
- March 13, 2027: Coventry, Coventry Central Library
- March 14, 2027: Cambridge, Junction 1
- September 24, 2027: Dublin, Button Factory
- September 25, 2027: Galway, Roisin Dubh
- September 26, 2027: Cork, Live at St Luke’s
- September 28, 2027: Cardiff, Tramshed
- September 29, 2027: Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
- September 30, 2027: Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
- October 1, 2027: Manchester, New Century Hall
- October 3, 2027: Birmingham, The Crossing
- October 7, 2027: London, Roundhouse
North America
- March 23, 2027: Kingston, NY, Tubbys
- March 24, 2027: New York, NY, Le Poisson Rouge
- March 25, 2027: Boston, MA, Warehouse XI
- March 26, 2027: Burlington, VT, Higher Ground Showcase Lounge
- March 27, 2027: Montreal, QC, Fairmount
- March 29, 2027: Toronto, ON, The Garrison
- March 30, 2027: Ann Arbor, MI, The Arc
- April 1, 2027: Knoxville, TN, Big Ears Festival
- April 4, 2027: Minneapolis, MN, Turf Club
- April 6, 2027: Stoughton, WI, Stoughton Opera House
- April 8, 2027: Chicago, IL, Constellation Club
- April 9, 2027: Pittsburgh, PA, Warhol Theater
- April 10, 2027: Washington, DC, Songbyrd
