Legendary rock guitarist Steve Hackett is set to release his new studio album "The Circus And The Nightwhale". The 13 tracks of "The Circus And The Nightwhale" are a rite-of-passage concept album centered around a young character named Travla. For the musician, the 13 tracks have an autobiographical background, as he says about his 30th solo album: "I love this album. It says the things I've wanted to say for a long time." "The Circus And The Nightwhale" is Steve's first new music in over two years. It follows January 2021's beautiful acoustic LP 'Under A Mediterranean Sky' - which reached number two in the UK classical charts - and September of the same year's metal-influenced masterpiece 'Surrender Of Silence', which reached the UK Top 40. His live album from 2023, Foxtrot At Fifty + Hackett Highlights: Live in Brighton', reached number 2 in the Rock & Metal charts. Steve's new LP promises ballads, blues, stunning progressive rock... and a healthy dose of theatricality and fantasy. Recorded between the 2022 and 2023 tours at Siren Studio in the UK - with guest contributions from Sweden, Austria, the USA, Azerbaijan and Denmark - the line-up for 'The Circus And The Nightwhale' includes some familiar faces alongside Steve on electric and acoustic guitars, 12-string guitar, mandolin, harmonica, percussion, bass and vocals. Roger King (keyboards, programming and orchestral arrangements), Rob Townsend (saxophone), Jonas Reingold (bass), Nad Sylvan (vocals), Craig Blundell (drums) and Amanda Lehmann (vocals). Nick D'Virgilio and Hugo Degenhardt return as guests on the drum stool, the excellent sound engineer Benedict Fenner can be heard on keyboards and Malik Mansurov is back on guitar. And finally, Steve's brother John Hackett is back on flute.