For more than three decades, Evan Dando has been one of alternative rock’s great wanderers, a songwriter with a golden ear, a troubadour’s heart, and a life lived in beautiful, chaotic technicolour. When The Lemonheads return to the UK this September and October for a sprawling run of dates, they’ll be bringing a version of Evan that feels newly sharpened, newly grounded, and newly joyful.
In a recent interview with Evan in his hotel room in New York City, jet lagged but happy to be in the ‘Big Apple’, Evan speaks with disarming honesty about the reset that pulled him back from the brink. “I went in for three months and just didn’t do drugs and looked within” he says. “It was really good for me”.
He talks about the chaos that preceded it, the speed, the exhaustion, the embarrassing moments that finally made him stop and look at himself. But the breakthrough wasn’t just sobriety. It was rediscovering the part of him that loves playing, loves performing, loves the connection with his fans.
Now, he’s healthier, happier, and surrounded by family. “I have four stepdaughters, and they’re here with me in New York. It feels good.”
“I’m ready to play music again and I’m unencumbered” he says. “I feel great”
It’s a simple sentence, but after the last few years, it carries weight.
Evan spoke more about recording again, this time a Townes Van Zandt tribute album called Townsville. “It came out incredible” he says. “We picked the songs really well. It’s a crazy thing to try, but we actually pulled it off”
There’s a tenderness in the way he talks about recording Tecumseh Valley (a track on ‘Townsville’) with Beatrice, one of his stepdaughters: “We did a live take. We got it on the 27th time” He laughs at the absurdity, but the pride is unmistakable.
There’s a spark in him when he talks about guitars, studios, and the musicians orbiting his world. The ramble is part of the charm, but beneath it is a musician who feels creatively alive again.
Ask Evan why touring the UK feels special and he goes on a typically winding detour through Germany, football, Muddy Waters, and the Stones, but the heart of it is simple:
“England… you guys love music. You love American music. You had to teach us about our own shit”
It’s affectionate, chaotic, and very Evan.
And the appetite is clearly there: extra dates added, tickets selling fast, fans eager to reconnect with the songs that shaped their lives.
We chatted about places that are not classed as the ‘beaten track’ when touring in the UK, Torquay, Stroud, Margate, I asked if there were any other places in the UK That he was excited about playing?
“Liverpool. We don't always play Liverpool. It goes on and off the circuit, you know, there were bands that i loved who are from Liverpool, The Coral and The La’s, they were amazing back in the 90’s” - I stepped in and politely mentioned that The La’s broke up in 1992 and John Power went on to form CAST who saw immense success as part of the UK’s Britpop scene, Evan looked shocked but was pleased when I said that CAST were still headlining festivals all over the country every year!
Willy Mason joins the tour for most of the run, and Evan lights up when he talks about him.
“I brought him on his first tour when he was 15 or 16… Willy’s amazing. His songs just go into timeless-ville.”
Their chemistry is long‑standing, easy, and deeply musical. Expect something special when they share a stage.
Evan’s setlists are fluid, instinctive, and built around what feels right on the night, you rarely see a paper version taped to the floor by his feet at a show. I quizzed Evan on staples that make up the percentage of a show.
“We definitely put The Great Big No in there, and It’s a Shame About Ray. I don’t care about playing old songs, I don’t mind. It’s different every night anyway.”
He still loves the solo acoustic section, especially Ride With Me. “It’s rare to be able to do that. It’s one of my favourite parts of the gig”
But he’s also thinking about pacing, about the audience’s experience, “You’ve got to remember the audience’s perspective… songs have to end on exactly the right beat”
It’s a surprisingly technical insight from someone known for looseness, but it shows how much he cares about the show being good.
Evan’s stories spill out in vivid fragments, living in Ramerston Park to decompress from years of touring, moving to Brazil, renovating a James Bond‑style house on a steep hillside, hanging out with Ice Cube in a studio where Billie Holiday once recorded, and being recognised by a fan he once asked for directions.
It’s all part of the tapestry: the chaos, the humour, the surreal moments, the music.
I asked Evan why people should buy tickets to see The Lemonheads on their UK tour, and he replied with the most grounded, and sincere comment:
“I’m going to take care of myself on this tour so I can perform — so I don’t lose my instrument or my voice. I’m going to sleep a lot and be ready for the show. The show’s the thing”
After everything he’s been through, it feels like a promise.
The full list of The Lemonheads UK tour dates is now as follows:
20 Sept – Stroud, Subscription Rooms
22 Sept – Brighton, Chalk
23 Sept – Southampton, 1865
24 Sept – Oxford, O2 Academy
25 Sept – Liverpool, O2 Academy
27 Sept – Torquay, Arena Torquay
28 Sept – Margate, Dreamland
30 Sept – Holmfirth, Picturedrome
01 Oct – Cambridge, Junction
02 Oct – London, Troxy
03 Oct – Northampton, Roadmenders
05 Oct – Newcastle, Digital
06 Oct – Glasgow, SWG3
07 Oct – Manchester, Albert Hall
09 Oct – Bristol, Electric
10 Oct – Birmingham, O2 Institute
11 Oct – Nottingham, Rock City
Tickets for all dates are on sale now, available from: www.thelemonheads.net.
Evan Dando is in a rare place, reflective but energised, grounded but still gloriously unpredictable. This tour is a reconnection, a renewal, and a celebration of one of alternative rock’s most enduring voices.
If you’ve ever loved The Lemonheads, or if you’ve ever loved a song that made your life feel briefly, beautifully cinematic, this is the moment to show up.
Steve Muscutt chatted to Evan Dando on August 4th 2026.