Texas alternative rock mainstays Sparta have officially announced a comprehensive tour across the UK and Europe for October 2026. The run is designed to celebrate the release of their sixth studio album, Cut A Silhouette, which is slated for release on May 29 via Equal Vision and Rude Records. The album has already been previewed by the lead single "Everything You Say," offering a glimpse into what frontman Jim Ward describes as a return to the band's core creative chemistry.
The tour is set to kick off in Dublin before moving through a series of key UK cities, including Bristol, Manchester, Glasgow, and London. Following the UK leg, the band will head to mainland Europe for performances in Paris, Cologne, Berlin, and Hamburg, eventually wrapping up the tour in Kortrijk, Belgium, on October 22.
Speaking on the upcoming live dates, Jim Ward shared his excitement for returning to international stages. "There is no better feeling than hopping on a plane to cross an ocean to play music," Ward said. "The gift of travel, friends, sweat and rock and roll is one that I’ll be forever grateful for. This new record is a special one; it’s something you can’t plan for, but when the stars align, and the songs come together, you've got to just go, go, go – so we will. We can’t wait to get back to some of our favourite cities with some of our favourite people."
Sparta 2026 UK and European Tour Dates:
- October 4 – The Sound House, Dublin
- October 6 – The Croft, Bristol
- October 7 – Yes, Manchester
- October 8 – Rock City Beta, Nottingham
- October 10 – Stereo, Glasgow
- October 11 – The Parish, Huddersfield
- October 12 – Castle & Falcon, Birmingham
- October 13 – Downstairs At The Dome, London
- October 14 – Patterns, Brighton
- October 15 – The Horn, St Albans
- October 17 – Petit Bain, Paris, France
- October 18 – Willemeen, Arnhem, Netherlands
- October 19 – Garagen, Cologne, Germany
- October 20 – Neue Zukunft, Berlin, Germany
- October 21 – Betty, Hamburg, Germany
- October 22 – Wilde Western, Kortrijk, Belgium
The inspiration for the album's title, Cut A Silhouette, came from an observation made by Macaulay Culkin in a documentary about the late comedian John Candy. Culkin described Candy’s presence as something that "just entered your brain and cut a silhouette," a phrase that resonated with Ward’s ambitions for the band's new music. Produced by J. Robbins, the album features a notable list of collaborators, including Frank Iero of My Chemical Romance, Kemble Walters of Chevelle, and Carlos Arévalo of Chicano Batman.
'Cut A Silhouette' Tracklist:
- Split Lip
- Crater
- Mouthbreather
- Daydream
- See You Soon
- Everything You Say
- Without Your Hands
- Midnights
- Mystery Of Missing
- Glimmer
Ward has characterized the upcoming release as a "love record," signaling a deeply personal and focused direction for the group as they prepare to bring these new songs to audiences across the Atlantic.