Thomas Dolby has a secret project that he started revealing last year. The good news is that fans now have a chance to see more previews. And he says he hopes to reveal the full story later this year.
He is currently back on tour with the following tour dates: Iconic 80s Memories. Dolby is supported by a full band featuring former David Bowie pal Gail Ann Dorsey and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Lipke. Dorsey sometimes opens concerts with a solo set.
Following the US show, the innovative artist will bring the experience abroad (with a changed band line-up) with additional shows from May 15th in Manchester to May 29th in Dublin.
“I think there’s a pretty strong crossover between me and the other artists who were active at the time,” the synthesizer legend said in an interview with UCR about just part of his overall concept. “I think the people listening to them side by side, it’s like it’s brought to you by someone who’s actually been there, lived something like that, had a connection to something like that. 2026 feels very special because a lot of those people have passed away, are in prison, are retired.”
Those who have followed Dolby’s career will know that he has led two different lives professionally. This was detailed in his 2016 memoir. The speed of sound: Breaking down the barrier between music and technology.
His latest tour combines both worlds of music and technology for good measure. Without giving away the plot, the artist has a cool vision for a unique presentation that gives fans of all ages an interesting look at the decade’s music through the eyes of someone who actively participated on many levels.
Hear Dolby’s hits in concert in 2026
If you just want to hear Thomas’ favorite songs, especially “She Blinded Me With Science,” don’t worry. You can listen to all songs and then some. But the songwriter provides an experience that you’ll enjoy as a fan of 80’s music in general. Plus, it’s a chance to get some new context for things you can look up on the internet, but it’s not nearly as fun. Dolby uses a baseball analogy when considering that last point.
“If you asked them that question, could they learn more about the history of baseball from the Internet or from a conversation with that old man sitting on the stoop? They’d probably quite guiltily admit that they would probably learn more from that old man, and yet they don’t,” he says. “They chose to go to ChatGPT instead.”
So there is a problem. Dolby happily accepted the challenge and found a way to present the concert in a very interesting way. “How do you pack all that demand for knowledge into a format that actually meets the demand for stimulation?”
Fans will be able to hear and see the answer for themselves on Dolby’s current tour dates.
How Dolby met the dead
Thomas Dolby fan brings home his 1992 copy. astronaut and heretic I was intrigued to see Eddie Van Halen appear in the song’s credits. But that wasn’t the album’s only surprising collaboration.
read more: Thomas Dolby, David Bowie and Eddie Van Halen talk about working with foreigners
Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir join the many musicians who helped complete Dolby’s fourth studio album. However, their music was not a new discovery for him personally. He actually grew up as a Dead fan and first saw the legendary jam band when he was 15 and still living in England.
His path to working with Weir and Garcia was an interesting one. “I was living in San Francisco and had just moved there,” he recalls. “I was invited to a fundraising lunch with celebrity waiters, and the waiter was Phil Lesh. My wife and I were sitting there, and Phil, in his apron, brought us our food. He was just as busy as the waiter, so we didn’t get to talk much. But then he gave me his phone number, and I thought maybe Jerry or Bob could do something for my album.”
He already had a song in mind called “Beauty of a Dream” and thought it would fit well with their style and approach. Fortunately, they agreed to participate and invited him to come to their warehouse in Marin County to discuss ideas.
Listen to “Beauty of a Dream” by Thomas Dolby.
Early results have not been very encouraging, for understandable reasons. “Interestingly, when they started playing, they were trying to sound like Thomas Dolby,” he explains. “And no, no, in my mind you sound like Bob and Jerry you guysand that applies to my record. It took them a while to figure it out. [But it] It was a pretty wild experience. And I’m so honored to be in their presence, even if it was only for a short time. ”
Thomas Dolby’s “Iconic ’80s Recollections” tour continues through April 19 in Indianapolis. He will be back on the road later this summer starting in July, playing shows as part of the Totally Tubular Festival. At the concert, Dolby will be backed by a new lineup of 1980s band Lost Toy People.
LOOK: Everyday life in the 1980s captured in photographs
Let’s go back to the everyday world of the 1980s. It captures life in its perfectly ordinary charms: shopping mall hangouts, boxy sedans, Walkmans, and family snapshots. These photos celebrate the small moments, styles, and scenes that made this decade unforgettable.
Gallery credit: Stephen Lenz
#Thomas #Dolby #creating #perspective #80s