Mark Knopfler's ‘Kill To Get Crimson' is the latest entry to a bespoke catalogue of albums in a distinguished recording career of 30 years. It has been made with a hand-picked A-team of musicians including longtime collaborators Guy Fletcher and Chuck Ainlay and is his fifth solo, non-soundtrack release: following 2004's ‘Shangri-La,'.

While Knopfler takes great pleasure in revisiting the sounds of such early heroes as Hank Marvin and Duane Eddy, he agrees that the new album also contains a high proportion of traditional instrumentation. Featured players include accordionist Ian Lowthian, with whom Knopfler collaborated on the soundtrack to the 2002 movie ‘A Shot At Glory,' and fiddle player John McCusker, perhaps best known for his work with Kate Rusby.Knopfler may be a self-confessed studio boffin, but he's just as much a fan of the road, and indeed of the writing pad. He constantly counts his blessings for it all he's also enthusiastic about taking ‘Kill To Get Crimson' on the road where he plans to fill the set with music from all periods of his career, including material from the days of Dire Straits. "People will always want you to play songs from the songbook. That's part of what you're doing playing live. You've got to please yourself but at the same time it's a celebration, you're all there to have a good time together. I enjoyed writing the songs, I enjoyed recording them so I'm going to enjoy playing them."