John Cale emerges from the velvet underground at the Albert Hall

This summer, John Cale OBE is playing just three live dates – with one of them taking place in Manchester.

Cale is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band The Velvet Underground. Though their integration of rock and the avant-garde achieved little commercial success, they became one of the most influential bands in rock, underground, experimental, and alternative music. Their provocative subject matter, musical experiments, and nihilistic attitude were also instrumental in the development of punk rock, new wave, and several other genres.

After co-founder Sterling Morrison‘s death in 1995, the remaining members played a final performance at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1996. In 2004, the Velvet Underground was ranked number 19 on Rolling Stone‘s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time“. The New York Times wrote that the Velvet Underground was “arguably the most influential American rock band of our time“.

Cale studied music at Goldsmiths College, University of London, before relocating in 1963 to New York City’s downtown music scene, where he performed as part of the Theatre of Eternal Music and formed the Velvet Underground. Since leaving the band in 1968, Cale has released seventeen solo studio albums. Cale has also acquired a reputation as an adventurous record producer, working on the debut studio albums of several innovative artists, including The Stooges and Patti Smith.

Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styles across rock, drone, classical, avant-garde, and electronic music.

John Cale OBE plays at Sub Rooms, Stroud on August 23, Albert Hall, Manchester on August 24, and the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh as part of Edinburgh Fringe Festival on August 26th.