They’re Back! Barbara kick off a landmark year with a great new single. Father Before Me is their first release since their self-titled debut album in September and ushers in a year that will feature another tour and an eagerly-awaited Cropredy appearance.

BRACE YOURSELVES, BARBARETTES…

2025 was a landmark year in the annals of Barbara. Support slots with the band’s special hero, Dean Friedman, were followed by a place on the bill for the Kid Creole & The Coconuts UK Farewell Tour and an appearance at The Isle of Wight Festival. But those achievements turned out to be a mere warm-up for the year’s main events. In early September, Barbara released the self-titled debut album that we’d all been waiting for – and that seismic event was followed by a UK tour that, once again, showed the world how far – and how quickly – Barbara were progressing.

And the Barbara momentum shows no sign of diminishing just yet. In fact, our advice is that Barbarettes should brace themselves. There’s a Barbara whirlwind coming this way in 2026.

A Bristol show supporting the newly re-energised Gene is on the cards for March and the pace will pick up even more when Barbara hit the road for their 9-date Spring 2026 Tour in May. Details of these shows – and a link for ticket sales – are available here. And – the best news of all, at least as far as this writer is concerned – Barbara will be strutting their stuff at Fairport’s Cropredy Convention on the afternoon of Saturday 15th August. Barbara at Cropredy! that’s a marriage made in Heaven, I reckon!!

A NEW SINGLE

But back to the here and now…

With all that Barbara activity making its way down the pipeline, it’s entirely appropriate that the band should start 2026 as they mean to go on. New single, Father Before Me – Barbara’s first release since that debut album – was premiered during the autumn tour and we were first-hand witnesses to how well the song was received by Barbara’s growing band of followers. Indeed, at the show at Masham Town Hall in October, the song had support act Jim Danby dancing in the aisles – and encouraging the rest of the audience to do likewise!

Produced by Jack O’Hea and Josh Best-Law, who have previously worked with Silvertwin (another band that is greatly admired in Camp Barbara), the song has the music-hall flavour that Barbara interpret so very well. John’s and Henry’s harmony vocals are as precise as ever and the band – Jack, Dean and Lawrie are as tight and choppy as Barbarettes have come to expect. It’s an established Barbara tradition that every song they record seems to represent yet another giant step forward – and that’s a tradition that’s continued with Father Before Me. It’s a wonderful chunk of widescreen sophisto-pop that manages to evoke a rose-tinted past, whilst pointing the way to a bright, exciting future. Yes folks – Barbara have done it yet again!

WIN SOME SIGNED ARTWORK!

Lily Coleman’s artwork for the single perhaps deserves a special mention. It features the Tydeman brothers, along with Mr Tydeman Snr (THEIR Father Before them – and always game for a laugh…) all clad in snazzy white tuxedos, reflecting the music hall flavour of the song. And – if you fancy winning a signed copy of the artwork to hang on your living room wall – then, all you have to do is send a few sentences to Barbara at info@barbarathe band.com, summarising the best moment that you recall with YOUR father. You never know your luck – that signed piccy could be yours…!

Listen to Father Before Me – the new single from At The Barrier Favourites Barbara – Below (and, if you fancy downloading it after you’ve heard it, you can do so here):

Barbara: Official Website 

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