Queen drummer Roger Taylor's first new solo studio album almost eight years, Outsider, will be released on October 1, and he'll support the record with a brief U.K. tour that same month.
Outsider is a collection of reflective tunes that Taylor mostly recorded during the COVID-19 lockdown. It follows the June 2020 release of Roger's solo track, "Isolation," which was inspired by life during the pandemic.
"I've had a bit of a creative spurt and suddenly found myself with an album, which was lovely. It was a surprise!" Taylor says. "I just found myself in the studio and they came out one after the other. It was a pleasure really."
Roger was responsible for nearly all of the instrumentation on Outsider. In addition to the Taylor originals on the record, the album includes a cover of an unidentified classic 1965 novelty tune that's describes in a press statement as "exactly the fun on earth we need in these challenging times."
Outsider can be pre-ordered now and will be available on CD, as a vinyl LP and on cassette. Fans who pre-order the album by Monday, June 7, at 11 a.m. ET will be eligible to receive an access code to buy pre-sale tickets for the U.K. trek. Pre-sales will begin on June 8 at 10 a.m. British Standard Time.
The 14-date tour, which will be Taylor's first solo pouting in two decades, is plotted out from an October 2 concert in Newcastle through an October 22 show in London.
Regarding his plans for the concerts, Roger says, "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."
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