U.K. rock outfit the Beautiful South has scheduled an ambitious stretch of tour dates in support of its upcoming seventh studio album, "Painting It Red." The tour will kick off Oct. 9 at the Grimbsby (U.K.) Auditorium and venture to the U.S. and Germany before playing another round of U.K. dates in December.

The album is due out Oct. 9 via Mercury in the U.K., where it will be preceded Sept. 25 by the single "Closer Than Most." The album is due out Oct. 31 in the U.S. via the Ark 21 label. The band's last album, 1998's "Quench," was released in the U.S. by Island.

The album features 16 songs, pared down from 26 bandleader Paul Heaton (ex-Housemartins) and guitarist Dave Rotheray wrote and worked out in preparation for recording. Produced by Heaton and Jon Kelly, the album was recorded over six weeks in Bath, England -- with the prerequisite break to enjoy the Euro 2000 soccer tournament. Heaton's former Housemartins bandmate Norman Cook, a.k.a. Fatboy Slim, also added his touch to a few of the tracks in his occasional role as the band's "rhythm consultant."

The Beautiful South will play seven dates in the U.S. -- where the band has struggled to gain more than a cult following as opposed to chart topping success in its native U.K. -- beginning Oct. 19 in Washington, D.C. While stateside, the band will also venture north of the border for one Canadian performance Oct. 24 at the Warehouse in Toronto.

Here are the Beautiful South's tour dates:

<ul>
<li>Oct. 9: Grimsby, U.K. (Grimsby Auditorium)
</li>
<li>Oct. 10: Bristol, U.K. (Colston Hall)
</li>
<li>Oct. 11: London (The Forum)
</li>
<li>Oct. 13: Leicester, U.K. (De Montfort Hall)
</li>
<li>Oct. 14: Blackpool, U.K. (Empress Ballroom)
</li>
<li>Oct. 15: Belfast, Ireland (Ulster Hall)
</li>
<li>Oct. 19: Washington, D.C. (9:30 Club)
</li>
<li>Oct. 20: Philadelphia (Theatre Of Living Arts)
</li>
<li>Oct. 21: New York (Roseland Ballroom)
</li>
<li>Oct. 22: Boston (Avalon)
</li>
<li>Oct. 24: Toronto (Warehouse)
</li>
<li>Oct. 25: Chicago (Park West)
</li>
<li>Oct. 27: San Francisco (Fillmore)
</li>
<li>Oct. 28: Los Angeles (House Of Blues)
</li>
<li>Nov. 28: Cologne, Germany (E-Werk)
</li>
<li>Nov. 29: Boblingen, Germany (Kongresshalle)
</li>
<li>Nov. 30: Munich, Germany (Colosseum)
</li>
<li>Dec. 2: Offenbach, Germany (Offenbacher Stadthalle)
</li>
<li>Dec. 3: Berlin (Columbia-halle)
</li>
<li>Dec. 4: Hamburg, Germany (Congress Centrum)
</li>
<li>Dec. 8: Glasgow, Scotland (SECC)
</li>
<li>Dec. 9: Newcastle, U.K. (Newcastle Arena)
</li>
<li>Dec. 10: Birmingham, U.K. (NEC)
</li>
<li>Dec. 12-13: London (Brixton Academy)
</li>
<li>Dec. 15: Sheffield, U.K. (Sheffield Arena)
</li>
<li>Dec. 17: Manchester, U.K. (Manchester Evening News Arena)
</li>
<li>Dec. 18: Nottingham, U.K. (Nottingham Arena)
</li>
<li>Dec. 20: Dublin (Point)</li>
</ul>

<div align="right"><i>-- Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.</i></div>