The Family Jewels Tour is the first major headlining concert tour by Welsh singer-songwriter Marina Diamandis, known professionally as Marina and the Diamonds, in support of her debut album, The Family Jewels. In December 2009, prior to the release of her album, she announced an eight-date concert tour for the United Kingdom in February 2010. Following the success of her British tour, with tickets selling out, Diamandis announced her second United Kingdom and Ireland tour, entitled The Gem Tour. Tour dates for the United States and mainland Europe, in countries such as France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, were shortly added. In May 2010, Diamandis announced sixteen dates for her third United Kingdom and Ireland tour in Autumn the following year. Marina announced on 14 October that her third headlining UK tour would be called The Burger Queen Tour. Diamandis also performed at several music festivals in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Belgium. Diamandis was originally scheduled to play several shows in the USA in early 2011 but these dates were cancelled in order for her to work on the recording of Electra Heart. In Summer 2011, she switched back-and-forth between headlining "The Family Jewels Tour" and serving as an opening act for Katy Perry on her "California Dreams Tour".
Reception
Katy Ratican from Contact Music rated Marina and the Diamonds' Manchester concert on 21 February 2010 nine stars out of ten saying it "was impressively cohesive and Marina held the limelight with charisma and confidence". She also predicted that the "next time plays Manchester, it will be to a sold out Academy 2 audience, with a top-selling album gracing the merchandising stand. Marina won't be playing to a few hundred people above a trendy bar in the foreseeable future." Joanne Dorken from MTV UK praised Diamandis' performance of "Obsessions" at London's Bush Hall on 23 February 2010 calling it the "highlight of the evening as Marina proved her vocal ability as well as showcasing her talent for playing live." At the opening concert of her Gem Tour at The Glee Club in Birmingham on 12 May 2010, Zak Edwards from Gig Junkies said Diamandis "instantly captivated the crowd in a similar way to which Kate Bush and Toyah Willcox did in yesteryear." He concluded by saying: "In short, this was a great set by a really novel, unique and entertaining performer. If you get chance to see her, you really must."
