To celebrate 35 years since the top-20 success of their debut single, “Pure,” Lightning Seeds – led, as ever, by Ian Broudie – will be releasing a new best-of collection in 2024, which will be followed by a 17-date tour of the UK.
The greatest-hits compilation, entitled Tomorrow’s Here Today: 35 Years of Lightning Seeds, will feature 19 tracks that traverse the three-and-a-half decades of the group’s career, stretching from the aforementioned “Pure” all the way through “Emily Smiles,” from their 2022 album, See You in the Stars.
The cover art for the new Lightning Seeds best-of collection
“Wow, I can't believe it's been 35 years!” said Broudie in a statement. “Our first single ‘Pure’ really opened the door to a life's worth of songs, shows and recordings. I owe everything to ‘Pure’ and I'm really looking forward to celebrating the 35th anniversary of its release with Tomorrow's Here Today: 35 Years of Lightning Seeds greatest hits album and tour in 2024.”
Broudie began his career as a musician, serving as a member of Big in Japan with Holly Johnson (Frankie Goes to Hollywood) and Bill Drummond (The KLF), co-founding Original Mirrors with Steve Allen (Deaf School), and teaming with once-and-future Wild Swans frontman Paul Simpson to form the duo Care, but by the mid-1980s, he was known far more as a producer. Between 1985 and 1989, Broudie helmed sessions by – among others – Echo and the Bunnymen, Wall of Voodoo, the Pale Fountains, In Tua Nua, the Icicle Works, The Three O’Clock, The Bodines, The Colourfield, The Adult Net, and The Fall.
After beginning the Lightning Seeds portion of his career, however, Broudie quickly found himself getting back to business as a proper musician on a regular basis, and a highly successful one at that. In addition to the top-20 success of “Pure,” Lightning Seeds scored two top-40 UK hits from their 1992 album, Sense (“The Life of Riley” and the title track), after which their next album, 1994’s Jollification, provided them with three top-20 hits: “Change,” “Perfect,” and “Lucky You.”
In 1996, however, things suddenly got really, really good for Lightning Seeds, thanks to a team-up with David Baddiel and Frank Skinner for the single “Three Lions.” The track hit #1 when it was initially released, and when it was updated in 1998, it hit #1 again, securing Lightning Seeds in the public consciousness. As if to prove this, the song went #1 yet again when it was reissued in 2018, and when they released "Three Lions (It's Coming Home for Christmas)" last year, even that went to #20.
To date, Lightning Seeds have scored 16 top-40 hits in the UK, and even though several of them have been "Three Lions," it's clear that they've got more than enough in the way of hit singles to warrant this new best-of. As for the tour that will follow the release of Tomorrow’s Here Today: 35 Years of Lightning Seeds, the dates are listed below. Tickets go on sale Friday November 24th at 10am in the UK and can be purchased by clicking here.
November 2024
Fri 8th Sheffield, Leadmill
Sat 9th Norwich, Waterfront
Thu 14th Nottingham, Rock City
Fri 15th Cardiff, Tramshed
Thu 21st Bristol, O2 Academy
Fri 22nd Oxford, O2 Academy
Sat 23rd Bexhill, De La Warr Pavilion
Thu 28th Newcastle, Boiler Shop
Fri 29th Glasgow, Garage
Sat 30th Dublin, Academy
December 2024
Sun 1st Belfast, Limelight
Thu 5th Manchester, Albert Hall
Fri 6th Leeds, Beckett Students’ Union
Sat 7th Liverpool, Olympia
Thu 12th Cambridge, Junction
Fri 13th London, O2 Forum Kentish Town
Sat 14th Wolverhampton, The Wulfrun at The Halls
