Travis ‘Raze The Bar’ with Chris Martin and Brandon Flowers

Coldplay and The Killers singers help Travis Raze The Bar on new single

Travis follow the March release of Gaslight, the lead track from new album L.A. Times, with Raze The Bar featuring additional vocals from Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Brandon Flowers of The Killers.

A bittersweet story about the closure of Black & White Bar, a much-loved New York haunt for the band, Raze The Bar utilises Fran’s masterful songwriting to tell of a fictional last night in the Greenwich Village bar.

Speaking about the track, Fran Healy says: “There was a great bar in New York City. It didn’t have a name but everyone called it Black and White on account of the black and white striped awning that hung over the entrance. They had poetry nights, great DJs, open mic nights.

“If you played a show at Irving Plaza or Webster Hall, chances are you ended up at Black and White till the wee small hours. One of the owners, Johnny T, looked after so many artists and bands over the years. If that bar could talk, what a story it would tell.

“During the pandemic, their landlord refused to negotiate a reduced rent and they had to close. So, in the middle of the night, they turned up with a truck and removed every single trace and fixture of the bar. Then they white washed the whole space so it could never be repeated.

“Raze The Bar is a song about a fictional last night in the bar. Johnny is in there, Jack, Richard and Johnny’s brother and bar co-owner Chris. The cameos were almost an afterthought! I just called Chris Martin in a bit of a panic because I couldn’t figure out what the track sequence should be. When Chris heard it, he was like, ‘That song is the best thing you’ve ever written!’ And because he and Brandon Flowers both live quite near…”

Watch the lyric video below:

Arena Tour Dates w/ The Killers

Travis will join Flowers and The Killers across their 16-date UK and Ireland arena tour through June and July, with more UK live activity to be announced soon.

12 June 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland
14 June 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland
15 June 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland
18 June Co-op Live Arena, Manchester, UK
19 June Co-op Live Arena, Manchester, UK
21 June Co-op Live Arena, Manchester, UK
22 June Co-op Live Arena, Manchester, UK
25 June OVO Hydro, Glasgow, UK
26 June OVO Hydro, Glasgow, UK
27 June OVO Hydro, Glasgow, UK
4 July O2 Arena, London, UK
5 July O2 Arena, London, UK
7 July O2 Arena, London, UK
8 July O2 Arena, London, UK
10 July O2 Arena, London, UK
11 July O2 Arena, London, UK

In other The Killers related news, Mr Brightside has overtaken Oasis’ Wonderwall to become the UK’s Official biggest single of all time yet to reach No.1. With combined UK sales and streams of 5.57 million (including 1.066m sales and 530,340,000 streams), the synth-laden anthem is the third biggest song of all time in the UK.

Travis’ L.A. Times is released digitally, on CD and vinyl from 12 July. The album is also available as a limited deluxe 2CD package which includes a stripped-back version of the L.A. Times album. HMV and indie stores have a limited-edition green marble vinyl and the band’s official store has exclusive limited yellow vinyl and merch bundles. Pre-Order here

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