Laura-Mary Carter – Bye Bye Jackie
Acclaimed alt-rock guitarist and songwriter Laura-Mary Carter, best known as one half of UK duo Blood Red Shoes, has announced her debut solo album Bye Bye Jackie, due Sept 26th via Jazz Life and a run of intimate European tour dates this winter.
Leading the way is the atmospheric new single “June Gloom”, out now across all platforms.
The announcement arrives alongside a string of headline shows across the UK and Europe this winter, with dates in London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, Dublin and more.
Blending raw songwriting with cinematic textures, Bye Bye Jackie marks a bold creative shift for Carter, showcasing a more introspective and emotionally resonant side to her artistry. Written between hotel rooms and quiet nights at home, the album was recorded in Hackney with producers Oscar Robertson (sholto) and David Bardon (Sunglasses for Jaws), known for their experimental edge and genre-defying work.
The first single, “June Gloom,” is a masterclass in subtle emotional power, pairing overcast melodies with sharp lyrical insight. It also features a guest guitar performance from Lee Kiernan of IDLES, whose contribution adds stormy energy to the track’s haze.
“June Gloom is a bittersweet weather report that captures the weird timing of sadness—how it shows up just when things start to feel okay,” Carter explains. “Blending dry humor with emotional honesty, it draws on SoCal’s signature overcast season as a metaphor for that familiar inner fog. Featuring a guest lead from Lee Kiernan, it’s equal parts funeral planning and cosmic shrug.”
While the themes of Bye Bye Jackie revolve around love and loss, the record resists sentimentality in favor of something more raw and unflinching. Carter’s lyrics are filled with dry wit and emotional depth, matched by production that evokes lo-fi indie, vintage soul, and late-night introspection.
“Yes, Jackie exists (and if you’re reading this… don’t),” she says. “This is a farewell in stereo—to fading faces, busted dreams, and plastic flowers that never wilt. I bet it all on Jackie. Jackie lost.”
This will be Carter’s first tour as a solo artist, after nearly two decades of international touring with Blood Red Shoes, a band that helped redefine alternative rock for a generation.
EUROPEAN TOUR DATES – THE BYE BYE JACKIE TOUR
(† = UK shows with special guest SMASHER)
- 25 NOV – Yellow Arch, Sheffield, UK †
- 26 NOV – McChuills, Glasgow, UK †
- 27 NOV – Deaf Institute, Manchester, UK †
- 28 NOV – St Matthias Church, London, UK †
- 29 NOV – Lantern Hall, Bristol, UK †
- 13 FEB – Grand Social Ballroom, Dublin, Ireland
- 16 FEB – Pop Up du Label, Paris, France
- 17 FEB – Paradiso (Cinetol), Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 19 FEB – Amor, Antwerp, Belgium
- 20 FEB – Lark, Berlin, Germany
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