Dexys Get Nostalgic On ‘Once A Man, Twice A Child’
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New single, ‘Once A Man, Twice A Child’ out NOW.
New album, LOVE, out this Friday, 4th September 2026, on Heavenly Recordings.
U.K. and Irish tour + EU tour & U.K. in-store run later this year.
Dexys Midnight Runners have today released a new single, ‘Once A Man, Twice A Child’, the latest track to be taken from their forthcoming new album, LOVE, out on Friday 4th September 2026 on Heavenly Recordings.
‘Once A Man, Twice A Child’ is a love song about a relationship that almost never happened between Kevin Rowland and his father. The third single from LOVE, following ‘My Life In England Pt. 1’ and ‘You’ve Got The Love’, it tells the story of days spent loving one of the people Kevin never thought he could get closer to. A soulful classic and cornerstone of the new album, it was produced by David Holmes.
Talking about the track, which is accompanied by a Thomas James directed video, Kevin Rowland said:
I had a really tough relationship with my dad, my old man. I was resigned to the fact that we were never going to be close. He was close to other relatives, some of my siblings, but we just always clashed. I still loved him.
He then had a stroke, and he completely softened up, and I found I could hug him and be loving. Which I never could before. It was incredible.
Before he had that stroke, he was a tough man, one of the toughest of his generation.
Occasionally he would come and stay a couple of nights with me after his stroke, and I’d put him to bed and all of that. “I helped you button up your shirt, I kissed your head before you slept. That wouldn’t have happened earlier. None of that. It was lovely, really, I would hold his hand, we’d go for walks.
A friend came around and I said, ‘It’s amazing, you have this incredible relationship with your dad now, and I know it’s an awful thing when somebody has a stroke, but I’m glad I got that time with him.’ As they say, once a man, twice a child.
Thomas James the video director added:
The track is obviously so incredibly personal, that all our film needed to do was frame Kevin’s performance with a respect and sensitivity that the song deserved – to give Kevin the room to deliver what is such a beautiful and poignant piece of writing
Additionally, they head out on a U.K. / EU headline tour in October and make a number of in-store appearances the week of album release which include a mix of signing and stripped back performances.
The dates will also be the first time Dexys, fronted by Kevin Rowland, have toured under the name of Dexys Midnight Runners since 2003, when they played a sold-out show at London’s Southbank Centre.
The full list of dates is as follows:
In-store appearances
04.09.26 – Assai – GLASGOW (signing only)
05.09.26 – Jumbo – LEEDS (signing only)
06.09.26 – HMV – BIRMINGHAM (signing only)
07.09.26 – Rough Trade – NOTTINGHAM (stripped back live performance)
08.09.26 – Rough Trade – BRISTOL (stripped back live performance)
09.09.26 – Resident – BRIGHTON (stripped back live performance)
10.09.26 – Rough Trade East – LONDON (stripped back live performance + Q&A with David Holmes)
04.10.26 – Gota Lejon – STOCKHOLM
06.10.26 – Pustervik – GOTHENBURG
07.10.26 – Slagthuset Teater – MALMO
10.10.26 – Passionskirche – BERLIN
11.10.26 – Elysee Montmatre – PARIS
13.10.26 – Circuit – KINGSTON UPON THAMES (album release show) – SOLD OUT
20.10.26 – Royal Concert Hall – GLASGOW
21.10.26 – City Hall – NEWCASTLE
23.10.26 – The Halls, University of Wolverhampton – WOLVERHAMPTON
25.10.26 – Opera House – MANCHESTER
27.10.26 – Hackney Empire – LONDON
28.10.26 – Hackney Empire – LONDON
30.10.26 – Corn Exchange – CAMBRIDGE
01.11.26- Dome – BRIGHTON
04.11.26 – Olympia – DUBLIN – SOLD OUT
05.11.26 – Ulster Hall – BELFAST
06.11.26 – Blackbox Theatre – GALWAY
08.11.26 – Beacon – BRISTOL
Remaining tickets for the shows are available HERE.
Front person Kevin Rowland would go on to release both solo and further band albums, under the ‘Dexys’ name, including their 2012 ‘comeback’ album, One Day I’m Going To Soar, which came out to widespread acclaim and 2023’s The Feminine Divine, which made number 6 in the U.K. albums chart.
New album LOVE is a deeply personal and emotionally rich album that may mark the final chapter in Dexys Midnight Runners extraordinary musical journey. Their first release under the Dexys Midnight Runners name since 1985’s Don’t Stand Me Down, LOVE gathers stories spanning Kevin Rowland’s life – from his 2nd generation Irish childhood and family relationships to late-life romance, loss and reconciliation.
Built around themes of love in all its forms, the album moves beyond traditional romance to explore ageing, memory and emotional connection. The album was produced by Belfast musician / DJ David Holmes, aided and abetted by Peter Schweir with additional contributions from long-time collaborators Sean Read, Mike Timothy, Jim Paterson and string arranger Brian Irving.
Rowland, one of the most individual and unique musical talents of the past 40 years, also recently released his memoir, Bless Me Father.
Pre-order LOVE HERE.
Dexys Midnight Runners are: Kevin Rowland (vocals), Sean Read (keyboards and backing vocals), Mike Timothy (keyboards and backing vocals), Lucy Morgan (violin), Timothy Weller (drums), Janelle Martin (backing vocals), Olli Martin (trombone).