On his ninth studio album, Baxter Dury is still dabbling in dry wit and observational storytelling, elevated by electro-pop and dance beats. It’s a tried and tested formula that has garnered him critical acclaim but, while there are moments of brilliance on ‘Allbarone’, at times it feels like he is trying to be a bit too clever.
This time, he’s enlisted super producer Paul Epworth to iron out the creases for a more commercial effort, but still with all the lyrical winks. If you look a little closer, you’ll notice the album borrows its name from a certain chain of wine bars. Dury situates the catchy title track’s events here, choosing to pronounce it “albaroney”, and thus transforming it into an Italian oasis for first dates.
The track marks the first of three collaborations with the returning vocalist JGrrey, who popped up across 2023’s excellent ‘I Thought I Was Better Than You’, and is home to an eerily infectious hook that would not have been out of place on The Streets’ ‘A Grand Don’t Come For Free’.
Kubla Khan is a punky, declarative number propped up by its abrasive synthesised melody, while Alpha Dog leans further into funk and disco.
Return of the Sharp Heads features haunting chanted vocals and obscenities from JGreey, with Dury’s stream of consciousness style inviting his most scathing social commentary as he rolls his eyes at the air of snobbery in London pubs and chastises the state of modern Britain.
Mockingjay is a strange beast, with Dury sourcing inspiration from the Hunger Games novels. He twists the rebel archetype into the modern Instagram social justice warrior, mocking their two-dimensional and often performative attempts at social media activism, and on The Other Me and closer Mr W4 he is a self-deprecating shell of the braggadocious performer he usually projects.
During the former he is a “broken-faced anomaly” and admits “I’m ashamed of the chain and the shirts that I wear.” The latter is let down by its overuse of AutoTune, causing him to sound even more sorry for himself across an underwhelming drum loop, and as a whole ‘Allbarone’ is dogged by such moments. The production is sleek and funky, and the earworms are plentiful, but it lacks the insight and innovation of his previous effort ‘I Thought I Was Better Than You’.
Baxter Dury Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Tue November 11 2025 - BELFAST Mandela Hall
Wed November 12 2025 - DUBLIN Vicar Street
Fri November 14 2025 - GLASGOW SWG3
Sat November 15 2025 - MANCHESTER Albert Hall Manchester
Sun November 16 2025 - LEEDS O2 Academy Leeds
Tue November 18 2025 - NOTTINGHAM Rock City
Wed November 19 2025 - CARDIFF Tramshed
Fri November 21 2025 - BRIGHTON Brighton Dome Concert Hall
Sat November 22 2025 - LONDON Eventim Apollo
Sun November 23 2025 - BRISTOL O2 Academy Bristol
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