Following a sold-out, intimate preview of her new album at Rough Trade in Bristol earlier this month, Elles Bailey has released her poignant new single ‘Better Days’, the latest track to be lifted from her forthcoming album ‘Can’t Take My Story Away,' due for release on January 16 via Cooking Vinyl and Outlaw Music. The soulful, blues-infused song serves as a moving tribute to her late friend Matt Long, who wrote the track before his passing. Bailey has described performing it as both a privilege and a way to honour his life and legacy, recalling their shared journey through the UK blues scene and her decision to re-record the song especially for this album after previously contributing a version to a tribute record in his memory.
Produced by Luke Potashnick and recorded with a new lineup of musicians, ‘Can’t Take My Story Away' represents a deeply personal and reflective body of work for Bailey, developed over a three-year period and drawing on songs written across the past decade. While it marks something of an evolution in her sound, her trusted live band will return for all performances as she prepares for a series of acoustic instore shows throughout January, followed by an extensive headline UK and EU tour in February and March 2026.
Bailey will celebrate the album’s release with stripped-back instore performances across England throughout January before taking the record on the road through Germany and the UK, including major shows at London’s Islington Assembly Hall, Manchester’s Band on the Wall and Glasgow’s St Luke’s. With multiple awards under her belt, including Live Act of the Year at the UK Americana Awards 2024 and a clean sweep at the 2025 UK Blues Awards, Elles Bailey continues to cement her reputation as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary UK roots music, with ‘Can’t Take My Story Away' promising to be her most heartfelt and defining chapter yet.
