February 23, 2002

Ed Harcourt's Here Be Monsters -- nominated for a Mercury Prize when released in England last year -- will be released in the U.S. on March 26th. In support of his Capitol debut, Harcourt will embark on his first ever North American tour on March 14th when he performs with Starsailor, Neil Finn and Actual Tigers at SXSW.

Harcourt will perform live this Monday, February 25th, on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic," and on both WFUV and WXPN's "World Café" in March.

To call Harcourt a singer-songwriter in this age amounts perhaps to misrepresentation for he is, in the words of one U.K. publication, "the antithesis of one whiny man and his guitar." Drawing on instruments at hand -- pump organ, banjo, even wineglasses -- Harcourt wrote over 300 songs in the basement of his grandmother's Sussex woods home, then sought, in his words, "a manager who could handle my bouts of delusional grandeur." Six months later, he had a deal with EMI's Heavenly Records, which released Maplewood, a mini-album of his basement four-track recordings (six songs, mind you, not the full 300) in 2000.

"Here be monsters" was a term used by ancient cartographers to indicate unexplored and potentially perilous territories. Harcourt's album explores the artist's own personal Oz, a land where birds fly backwards and a father returns as the wind through the trees to haunt his murderous daughter. Produced by Death In Vegas' Tim Holmes, Here Be Monsters was heralded by the British press as the fulfillment of Maplewood's early promise. "Harcourt's story-telling lyrics reveal both a surreal sense of humour and unfathomable sadness. Superb," said Mojo. Q gave it a four-star review, NME praised it as "warm, bittersweet and, crucially, thirsty for life" and the London Sunday Times said it may well be the album of the year.

His live shows in the U.K., eliciting comparisons to such disparate performers as Tom Waits and Noel Coward, have been as celebrated as his recordings. One talked-about gig ended with Harcourt bashing the piano with his stool. "I won't ever do that again," he promises. "I thoroughly repent." Still, anyone expecting an Ed Harcourt show to be just another night out is forewarned: Here Be Monsters.

ED HARCOURT - SPRING NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

3/14	Austin, TX	La Zona Rosa (SXSW showcase with Starsailor, Neil Finn and Actual Tigers)
3/18	Seattle, WA	Crocodile Café
3/19, 20	Los Angeles, CA	Largo
3/22	San Francisco, CA	Johnny Foley's Irish House
3/25	Toronto, ONT	Top O' The Senator
3/26	Chicago, IL	Martyrs'
3/27	Bryn Mawr, PA	The Point
3/28	New York, NY	Joe's Pub