The Tear the Signs Down album tour was a tour by the Welsh rock band The Automatic

The Automatic

The Automatic , are a Welsh rock band. The band is composed of Robin Hawkins on vocals, bass and synthesizers, James Frost on guitar, synthesizers, backing vocals and occasional bass, Iwan Griffiths on drums and Paul Mullen on vocals, guitar and synthesizer - since 2007...

, in support of their third album Tear the Signs Down

Tear the Signs Down

Tear the Signs Down is the third album by Wales-based band The Automatic. It was released on 8 March 2010 in the United Kingdom, and then on 12 April 2010 for the rest of the world. Tear the Signs Down was the first album released by the band on their own Armoured Records after being splitting with...

. The band made their live comeback at Cardiff Barfly on 19 September 2009 and soon after announced a string of dates in November were they would preview new material from their then upcoming album. Currently the band are on a full UK tour, with plans to tour in Europe and America.

Background

During 2009 the band only played a handful of dates, Jarocin Festival

Jarocin Festival

Jarocin Festival was one of the biggest and most important rock music festivals in the 1980s Europe, by far the biggest festival of alternative music in the Warsaw Pact countries....

 in Poland and Tamworth Midlands Music Festival in July and August, and then their 'comeback performance' on 19 September 2009 in their native Cardiff

Cardiff

Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

 at Barfly

Barfly (club)

Barfly is a chain of live music venues nightclubs in the UK operating as part of the MAMA Group. It has venues in Brighton, London & York. They regularly feature live music. Their club nights tend to feature rock, alternative and independent music...

, where they performed new material for the first time. Soon after they announced a small 10 date tour across parts of the United Kingdom, in November 2009. Prior to the November tour the full album tour was also announced, across the England, Scotland and Wales in March 2010. Three sold out London dates were at the start of the tour, at Hoxton Bar and Kitchen, The Borderline and Camden

London Borough of Camden

In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...

 Barfly.

During the March 2010 tour dates the band were supported by Straight Lines and White Belt Yellow Tag

White Belt Yellow Tag

White Belt Yellow Tag are a British alternative rock band, formed by former Yourcodenameis:milo guitarist Justin Lockey and Craig Pilbin. When performing live, Tom Bellamy plays drums....

. Throughout the tour The Automatic ran a competition via twitter, giving fans the chance to win a free guest list place every night of the tour.

After the March 2010 tour the band played sporadic gigs and festivals across the summer. They were also favoured to support Ash

Ash (band)

Ash are an alternative rock band that formed in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland in 1992. The band has sold 8 million albums worldwide.-Band beginning, Trailer and 1977 :...

 in April or May on tour, this never became. In late June The Blackout

The Blackout (band)

The Blackout is a post-hardcore band from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, formed in 2003. After some time backing Lostprophets on their Liberation Transmission Tour, along with Dopamine, Covergirl, Kids In Glass Houses, The Guns and Men, Women and Children, they released their first mini-album The Blackout!...

 supported The Automatic at a charity performance at Pontypridd

Pontypridd

Pontypridd is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff...

 Muni Arts Centre, whilst later in July The Automatic supported Funeral for a Friend

Funeral for a Friend

Funeral for a Friend are a Welsh post-hardcore band, from Bridgend. Formed 2001, they have released five studio albums, seven EPs, sixteen singles, one DVD, and one compilation album.-Formation and Early Years:...

 on their Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation

Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation

-Reception:The album received very positive reviews from the British music press with NME and Drowned in Sound giving it 8/10 and 9/10 respectively. It was also #17 in NME albums of the year.- In pop culture :...

 tour dates.

Reception

Despite NME

NME

The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

's poor reaction to the album Tear the Signs Down

Tear the Signs Down

Tear the Signs Down is the third album by Wales-based band The Automatic. It was released on 8 March 2010 in the United Kingdom, and then on 12 April 2010 for the rest of the world. Tear the Signs Down was the first album released by the band on their own Armoured Records after being splitting with...

the magazine praised the performance at Liverpool on 14 March 2010 - also contradicting their album review calling Tear the Signs Down "an impressive third record", Mike Haydock wrote "They look happy, and it's infectious, translating into a hugely impressive, enjoyable show that puts smiles on people's faces. And surely that's the whole point, right?", noting also that hit singles "Steve McQueen", "Monster", "Raoul" and "Recover" all gained the most response.

Set list

Many of the tracks from Tear the Signs Down have been alternated throughout the tour, with "Run and Hide", "Interstate", "Something Else" and "Cannot Be Saved" remaining present at all dates. "Steve McQueen", "Magazines", "This Is A Fix" and "Light Entertainment" along with an alternation of Sleepwalking and other tracks from This Is A Fix

This Is a Fix

This Is a Fix is the second album by Wales based band The Automatic. It was released on 25 August 2008. The band worked with producer Don Gilmore in Los Angeles, but were disappointed with these sessions, and instead worked with Butch Walker at Sage and Sound Recording in Los Angeles then back in...

. "Monster", "Campaign Trail", "Raoul" and "Recover" have all been present from Not Accepted Anywhere

Not Accepted Anywhere

Not Accepted Anywhere is the debut album from Welsh rock band The Automatic, originally released on June 19, 2006. Working with producers Stephen Harris, Richard Jackson and Ian Broudie on different tracks at a variety of studies around the United Kingdom the album was released through a joint deal...

whilst "That's What She Said" and "By My Side" have been included on occasion. You Shout, Keep Your Eyes Peeled, Seriously I Hate You Guys, Team Drama and Rats have yet to be performed with Paul Mullen as a member of The Automatic.

• Interstate
• Recover
• Magazines
• Run and Hide
• Raoul
• Race to the Heart of the Sun
• Monster
• Something Else
• This Is A Fix
• Can I Take You Home
• On The Campaign Trail
• Sleepwalking
• Cannot Be Saved
• Light Entertainment
• Steve McQueen

November 2009 Tour

Date	Location	Country	Venue	Opening Act(s)
19 September	Cardiff Cardiff Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...	Wales	Barfly Barfly Originally, barfly literally may have referred to the ubiquitous vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster, commonly attracted to alcohol and hence an expected visitor to drinking establishments. It has been said that this small fly is trapped in liquor bottles not properly sealed.The above is anecdotal...
3 November	Dubai Dubai Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...	United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...	Sound City
10 November	Tunbridge Wells	England	The Forum Tunbridge Wells Forum The Forum is a 250 capacity live music venue in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent.The Forum is an independent music and arts venue in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.-Location:...
11 November	Southend		Chinnerys
12 November	Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...		McCluskys
13 November	Rhondda Rhondda Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley , is a former coal mining valley in Wales, formerly a local government district, consisting of 16 communities built around the River Rhondda. The valley is made up of two valleys, the larger Rhondda Fawr valley and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley...	Wales	Cwmparc Hall
14 November	Wrexham Wrexham Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...		Central Station
20 November	Preston	England	Lava Ignite
21 November	Ipswich Ipswich Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...		Liquid Liquid Liquid is one of the three classical states of matter . Like a gas, a liquid is able to flow and take the shape of a container. Some liquids resist compression, while others can be compressed. Unlike a gas, a liquid does not disperse to fill every space of a container, and maintains a fairly...
25 November	Sunderland		Independent
26 November	Carlisle		Brickyard Brickyard A brickyard is a place or yard where the earthen building material called bricks are made, fired, and stored, or sometimes sold or otherwise distributed from.-See also:...
27 November	Stockton-On-Tees Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...		Ku Bar
28 November	Coventry Coventry Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...		Kasbah Kasbah A kasbah or qassabah is a type of medina, Islamic city, or fortress .It was a place for the local leader to live and a defense when a city was under attack. A kasbah has high walls, usually without windows. Sometimes, they were built on hilltops so that they could be more easily defended...

January & February 2010

Date	City	Country	Venue	Opening Act(s)
21 January	London	England	Hoxton Hoxton Hoxton is an area in the London Borough of Hackney, immediately north of the financial district of the City of London. The area of Hoxton is bordered by Regent's Canal on the north side, Wharf Road and City Road on the west, Old Street on the south, and Kingsland Road on the east.Hoxton is also a...  Bar and Kitchen
4 February			The Borderline
18 February			Camden London Borough of Camden In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...  Barfly Barfly Originally, barfly literally may have referred to the ubiquitous vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster, commonly attracted to alcohol and hence an expected visitor to drinking establishments. It has been said that this small fly is trapped in liquor bottles not properly sealed.The above is anecdotal...	Autopilots
22 February	Swansea Swansea Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...	Wales	Brangwyn

March 2010 Tour

Date	City	Country	Venue	Opening Act(s)
2 March 2010	Swindon Swindon Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...	England	12 Bar	Straight Lines
4 March 2010	Exeter Exeter Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...		Cavern
5 March 2010	Falmouth Falmouth, Cornwall Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....		Princess Pavilion
6 March 2010	Yeovil Yeovil Yeovil is a town and civil parish in south Somerset, England. The parish had a population of 27,949 at the 2001 census, although the wider urban area had a population of 42,140...		Orange Box
7 March 2010	Gloucester Gloucester Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....		Guildhall
8 March 2010	Oxford Oxford The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...		O2 Academy
9 March 2010	Colchester Colchester Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...		Arts Centre
11 March 2010	Northampton Northampton Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...		Roadmender 2
12 March 2010	Stoke Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...		Sugarmill
13 March 2010	Hull Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...		Adelphi
14 March 2010	Liverpool Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...		O2 Academy
16 March 2010	Glasgow Glasgow Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...	Scotland	King Tuts	White Belt Yellow Tag
17 March 2010	Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...	England	O2 Academy
18 March 2010	Sheffield Sheffield Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...		O2 Academy
19 March 2010	Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...		Academy
20 March 2010	Leeds Leeds Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...		Brudenell Social Club
22 March 2010	Norwich Norwich Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...		Arts Centre
23 March 2010	Nottingham Nottingham Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...		Rescue Rooms
24 March 2010	York York York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...		Fibbers
25 March 2010	Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...		O2 Academy
27 March 2010	Brighton Brighton Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...		Audio
28 March 2010	Bristol Bristol Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...		Thekla
29 March 2010	Portsmouth Portsmouth Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...		Wedgewood Rooms
30 March 2010	London		Relentless Garage
31 March 2010	Cardiff Cardiff Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...	Wales	Barfly	Straight Lines White Belt Yellow Tag

Summer dates

Date	City	Country	Venue	Support Act
25 June 2010	Pontypridd Pontypridd Pontypridd is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff...	Wales	Muni Arts Centre	The Blackout The Blackout (band) The Blackout is a post-hardcore band from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, formed in 2003. After some time backing Lostprophets on their Liberation Transmission Tour, along with Dopamine, Covergirl, Kids In Glass Houses, The Guns and Men, Women and Children, they released their first mini-album The Blackout!... Ladies Love a Superhero High Demand
18 July 2010	Monmouth Monmouth Monmouth is a town in southeast Wales and traditional county town of the historic county of Monmouthshire. It is situated close to the border with England, where the River Monnow meets the River Wye with bridges over both....	Wales	Monmouth Festival 2010	Festival
23 July 2010	London	England	Wimbledon Calling Festival	Festival
1 August 2010	Southport Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...	England	Jedi Jedi The Jedi are characters in the Star Wars universe and the series's main protagonists. The Jedi use a power called the Force and weapons called lightsabers, which emit a controlled energy flow in the shape of a sword, in order to serve and protect the Republic and the galaxy at large from conflict...  Music Festival	Festival

Funeral for a Friend dates

Date	City	Country	Venue	Supporting
22 July 2010	Cardiff Cardiff Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...	Wales	Cardiff University Cardiff University Cardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...	Funeral for a Friend Funeral for a Friend Funeral for a Friend are a Welsh post-hardcore band, from Bridgend. Formed 2001, they have released five studio albums, seven EPs, sixteen singles, one DVD, and one compilation album.-Formation and Early Years:...  headline The Automatic Young Guns
23 July 2010	London	England	Shepherds Bush Empire Shepherds Bush Empire The O2 Shepherds Bush Empire is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, London, England, run by the Academy Music Group. It was built in 1903, as a music hall, and in 1953 became the BBC Television Theatre...	Funeral for a Friend Funeral for a Friend Funeral for a Friend are a Welsh post-hardcore band, from Bridgend. Formed 2001, they have released five studio albums, seven EPs, sixteen singles, one DVD, and one compilation album.-Formation and Early Years:... headline The Automatic Young Guns