Presenting Classic Alternative - Episode #75: [redacted]
Rock it old school with classics from Lush, The Replacements, Yaz, Section 25, Numb, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Majesty Crush, The Cult, and The Smiths.
Stream below or here and check out the full archive of episodes here or here.
Echo & The Bunnymen return with their new album The Stars, The Oceans and The Moon on October 5th. The album includes orchestral reworks and transformed versions of Echo classics along with two brand new songs. Echo previously issued a few tracks from the record including "The Killing Moon" and "Seven Seas." Today they've unleashed a transformed groovy version of "Bring On The Dancing Horses" - check it out below:
Pre-order The Stars, The Oceans & The Moonhere and view the itinerary for their upcoming North American tour below:
Echo & The Bunnymen - North American tour
Nov 17 -- Toronto, ON @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Nov 19 -- Northampton, MA @ Calvin Theatre
Nov 20 -- Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
Nov 21 -- New York, NY @ Town Hall Theatre
Nov 23 -- Detroit, MI @ Fillmore Detroit
Nov 24 -- Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
Nov 26 -- Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
Nov 27 -- Salt Lake City, UT @ Union Event Center
Nov 29 -- Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
Nov 30 -- Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
Dec 01 -- Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre
Dec 03 -- San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
Dec 04 -- Los Angeles, CA @ The Cathedral Sanctuary/Immanuel Presbyterian Church
Richard Ashcroft has premiered another track from his forthcoming solo album Natural Rebel. The single "Born To Be Strangers" is available to stream below along with Ashcroft's previously issued single "Surprised By The Joy."
Natural Rebel arrives October 19th and according to Ashcroft has a live feel to it and includes some of the heaviest guitars he's done as a solo artist as well as some of the most uplifting songs he's written. View the pre-order options here.
Peter Hook has announced plans to perform Joy Division classics backed by Manchester Camerata. Peter Hook & Manchester Camerata Present Joy Division Orchestrated takes place July 5th at Royal Albert Hall. Hooky curated the event and serves as executive producer with Tim Crooks onboard as musical director.
Hook previously worked with Manchester Camerata for a series of Hacienda Classical performances over the last few years. The upcoming event at Royal Albert Hall will be dedicated to presenting orchestral workings of Joy Division classics to "pay homage to the band and the spirit which defines their heritage" and will "be presented in a state-of-the-art concert setting with the highest standards of production."
Meanwhile Hook's latest New Order album tour kicks off tonight. He'll perform Technique and Republic in full with a warm up set of Joy Division classics. The North American leg of the tour is expected to take place in 2019
Earlier this yearMiki Berenyi of Lush revealed that she was working on a new project. Today the band officially launched -- the four piece band is titled Piroshka and also includes Moose, Michael Conroy of Modern English, and Justin Welch who played drums on Lush's reunion EP Blind Spot and was previously in Elastica. Piroshka haven't premiered any music yet, but their first live show will take place November 27th in London with ticket info coming soon.
UPDATE: Piroshka announced details on their debut album Brickbat and shared the new single "Everlastingly Yours." Check it out here.
View a few pictures from inside the studio here, and be sure to follow Piroshka on Facebook, and Twitter.
Welcome to Piroshka - Mick, Moose, Miki and Justin. We've all been in bands before, y'know pic.twitter.com/m5UqOanLEr
Morrissey is releasing a deluxe edition of his 2017 album Low In High School on December 7th. The expanded edition includes his newly recorded cover of The Pretenders' "Back On The Chain Gang," five live b-sides from the recording session, three unreleased tracks, a limited edition lithographed photograph of Morrissey, and a rare version of a photo booth portrait taken when the legendary frontman was a student.
Pre-order info has not been announced but the press release from Shore Fire Media is available to view here via Morrissey Solo.
Morrissey returns to the stage next month with a handful of North America tour dates. View the itinerary below.
Oct 31 -- Ventura, CA @ Majestic Ventura Theater
Nov 01 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Microsoft Theater
Nov 03 -- Long Beach, CA @ Tropicalia Festival
Nov 10 -- San Diego, CA @ Copley Symphony Hall
Nov 22 -- Mexico City, MX @ Auditorio Nacional
Nov 23 -- Mexico City, MX @ Auditorio Nacional
The The are wrapping up the North America leg of their Comeback Special in California this week. Yesterday the legendary Matt Johnson and band appeared on KCRW for a rare stripped down session. Johnson sang an octave lower, which added an even more soothing quality to his already exquisite delivery -- he revealed that a few band members were fighting illness and he needed to preserve his voice for the final tour dates. The session is a compelling listen -- The performed two 3 song sets separated by a short interview and is highly recommended listening for The The fans.
Gary Numan is on the road in North America playing shows in support of 2017's Savage: Songs From a Broken World. While traveling to his show in Cleveland yesterday Numan's tour bus struck and killed a 91 year old man. According to a report, the tour bus hit the man as he was crossing at a crosswalk, and the matter is currently under investigation. The driver was not arrested and police stated that the driver did not show any signs of impairment.
Numan confirmed the news on social media yesterday to express his condolences and to announce the cancellation of the Cleveland show. Read his statement on the matter below.
"We are all utterly devastated by the fatal accident involving our tour bus in Cleveland earlier today. Everyone of us is filled with a sadness that made it impossible to even consider playing our show this evening, and out of respect it would have been entirely wrong. I'm sure you can understand why we cancelled and I apologize to the House Of Blues and to the fans for any difficulties or disappointment this decision may have caused. All tickets will be honored at the point of purchase. At the moment all we can think about are the people affected by this terrible tragedy and to them we send all our love."
Presenting Classic Alternative - Episode #74: Exile
Rock it old school with classics from Teenage Fanclub, R.E.M., Iggy + The Stooges, Lene Lovich, Aztec Camera, New Model Army, Acid Horse, Noel Gallagher, Bob Mould, and The Smiths.
Stream below or here and check out the full archive of episodes here or here.
Richard Ashcroft appeared on the Sky Sports program Soccer AM earlier today to promote his forthcoming albumNatural Rebel which is released October 19th. Ashcroft chatted it up with the hosts and played a lovely acoustic version of his new single "Surprised By The Joy."
Minutes after the show aired, controversy erupted on social media when a few fans noticed a mysterious package fell out of Ashcroft's pantleg during his appearance.
Viewers jumped to conclusions and assumed it was drugs; Ashcroft wasn't amused. He posted a somewhat aggro video response lashing out at "trolls on Twitter" stating:
"Cocaine and I have had no relationship for decades...don't you ever surmise what's fallen out of my pocket...you're on thin ice, don't libel my name."
Ashcroft insisted the mysterious package was merely paper or "litter" and revealed:
"In the Verve I was known as Columbo, so get your facts straight."
Ashcroft ended up deleting his video, but not before a fan account made a copy of it. Ashcroft later posted a fan's screenshot of the incident along with his own lighthearted response to the drama.
Check out his posting along with a few interview clips from Soccer AM below.
Johnny Marr has shared the studio version of his new song "Jeopardy." He's been performing the song live on his recent tour but now the studio version is available to stream. Check it out on Spotify.
Marr is currently on tour in North America in support of his album Call The Comet. Catch him if you can!
Johnny Marr - North American tour
Sep 22 -- Portland, OR @ Roseland
Sep 24 -- Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
Sep 25 -- Berkeley, CA @ UC Theatre
Sep 26 -- San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Sep 28 -- Sonoma, CA @ Old Redwood Barn
Sep 29 -- Dana Point, CA @ Ohana Music & Arts Festival
Sep 30 -- Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee
Oct 02 -- Mexico City, MX @ Plaza Condessa
Oct 04 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Theatre at Ace Hotel
Oct 08 -- San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger
Oct 09 -- Dallas, TX @ Granada
Oct 10 -- Austin, TX @ Empire Control Room
Oct 11 -- Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
Oct 13 -- Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
Oct 15 -- New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
Oct 16 -- Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
Oct 17 -- Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
Oct 19 -- Toronto, ON @ Phoenix
Oct 20 -- Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
Oct 21 -- Boston, MA @ Paradise
Oct 22 -- Philadelphia, PA @ TLA
A new book about Joy Division will be released in the spring. This Searing Light, The Sun, And Everything Else: Joy Division - The Oral History by Jon Savage features interviews from key players such as Tony Wilson, Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, Peter Saville, Deborah Curtis, Rob Gretton, and many more. Much of the content from the 400 page book was obtained from interviews conducted for the 2007 documentary Joy Division, but never made it into the film.
This Searing Light, The Sun, And Everything Else: Joy Division - The Oral History will be released March 7th in the U.K. and will be available in North America in April. Pre-order here.
Alien Sex Fiend return with a new album titled Possessed on November 9th. The legendary band's first record since 2010's Death Trip will be preceded by a song titled "Shit's Coming Down," which is set to premiere soon. Possessed will be released through Cherry Red on CD and as a double LP; each format will have exclusive material. The LP will include 14 tracks; five are exclusive mixes. The CD has 12 tracks; 3 mixes are exclusive. Check out the pre-order options: 2LP, CD.
Alien Sex Fiend are also releasing a digital only EP early next year. Details and tracklisting have not been announced yet.
The Cure will continue to celebrate their 40th anniversary in 2019 and are planning on playing festivals next year. Robert Smith announced that The Cure will play "over 20" festivals next year, though these engagements will mostly be headlining slots as part of 2019's European festival circuit.
Dates have not been announced but you can view Robert ALL-CAPS Smith's announcement below.
Smith revealed earlier this year that The Cure would play gigs in 2019 as part of their 40th anniversary, and also offered up the possibility of playing other special shows in celebration of the 30th anniversary of their landmark album Disintegration. We'll see.
R.E.M. have shared another track from their forthcoming collection R.E.M. At The BBC. The performance of "Orange Crush" was captured live October 15th, 2003 for the Mark and Lard show on BBC Radio 1. Check it out below:
R.E.M. At The BBC will be released October 19th. Preorder here.
Note: the beginning of the video erroneously states the performance is from 1993, but it was actually 2003.
A Chris Cornell career retrospective will be released on November 16th. Chris Cornell includes choice selections from Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, Audioslave, and Cornell's solo work along with previously unreleased material. Several editions are available: the standard version features 17 tracks (2 previously unreleased) on 1 CD or 2LP; a 4CD expanded set with 11 previously unreleased songs and a full disc of live material; the super deluxe version is a 4CD/7LP/1DVD set with 11 previously unreleased audio tracks and 2 previously unreleased videos, plus a 66 page hardcover book.
Stream the previously unreleased track "When Bad Does Good" below and view all the pre-order options here.
Chris Cornell - tracklist standard version
01. Loud Love
02. Outshined
03. Hunger Strike
04. Seasons
05. Black Hole Sun
06. Can't Change Me
07. Like A Stone
08. Be Yourself
09. You Know My Name
10. Billie Jean
11. Long Gone (rock version)
12. Call Me A Dog (live acoustic)
13. Been Away Too Long
14. Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart
15. Nothing Compares 2 U (live)(previously unreleased)
16. The Promise
17. When Bad Does Good (previously unreleased)
Morrissey announced three new shows in California which take place this autumn prior to a pair of previously announced dates in Mexico. Moz is poised to announce even more dates soon - including his grand return to Canada. Moz has been boycotting Canada for years "in protest against the barbaric slaughter of over 350,000 baby seal" (aka the annual Seal Hunt). The legend issued a statement today regarding his boycott reversal, which paves the way for the likely imminent tour announcement. Stay tuned.
Tickets for the new shows in California go on sale September 21st.
UPDATE (9/21): Morrissey has also confirmed he'll play November 1st in Los Angeles.
Morrissey - North American tour
Oct 31 -- Ventura, CA @ Majestic Ventura Theater
Nov 01 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Microsoft Theater
Nov 03 -- Long Beach, CA @ Tropicalia Festival
Nov 10 -- San Diego, CA @ Copley Symphony Hall
Nov 22 -- Mexico City, MX @ Auditorio Nacional
Nov 23 -- Mexico City, MX @ Auditorio Nacional
Noel Gallagher is releasing his first ever book titled Any Road Will Get Us There (If We Don't Know Where We're Going).
As you might guess from the cover art, the 224 page book tells the story of Gallagher's 72 date world tour behind his latest album Who Built The Moon? The tour memoir documents "every step" of the tour with anecdotes, exclusive backstage photos, interviews, and more.
Any Road Will Get Us There (If We Don't Know Where We're Going) is out on November 1st. A physical domestic release has not been announced but digital copies are available here and import hardcover copies are available here.
Watch professionally shot footage of Noel Gallagher's July 18th show at the O2 in Manchester below.
Teenage Fanclub return to North America in February. The tour brings them to Detroit's El Club on March 7th. Tickets for all of the dates on the tour go on sale this Friday, September 21st at 10am local time. View the tour itinerary below.
Teenage Fanclub reissued their classic albums Bandwagonesque, Thirteen, Grand Prix, Songs From Northern Britain, and Howdy on vinyl in August. Head here to order.
Teenage Fanclub - North American tour
Feb 22 -- Seattle, WA @ Neptune
Feb 23 -- Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
Feb 25 -- San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Feb 26 -- Los Angeles, CA @ The Teragram Ballroom
Feb 27 -- Los Angeles, CA @ The Teragram Ballroom
Mar 02 -- Denver, CO @ Bluebird
Mar 04 -- Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
Mar 05 -- Madison, WI @ Majestic Theater
Mar 06 -- Chicago, IL @ Metro
Mar 07 -- Detroit, MI @ El Club
Mar 08 -- Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
Mar 09 -- Montreal, QC @ Petit Campus
Mar 11 -- Boston, MA @ Paradise Theatre
Mar 13 -- New York, NY @ The Bowery Ballroom
Mar 14 -- Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg
Mar 15 -- Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Mar 16 -- Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Mar 18 -- Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom
Great news: Industrial Accident - The Story of Wax Trax has a Michigan screening later this month. The screening takes place Saturday, September 29th as part of the2018 Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival in Bay City. Tickets are available to purchase here.
The film chronicles how Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher launched the legendary record store and turned it into the iconic industrial record label that was home to acts such as Ministry, Front 242, Revolting Cocks, KMFDM, Die Warzau, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult and so many more.
Industrial Accident has screened at various film festivals across the world but is not available for a DVD release yet due to licensing/financial issues. Read more about that here.
J Mascis returns with his new album Elastic Days on November 9th. Mascis premiered "See You At The Movies" a few weeks ago and now he's shared another track titled "Everything She Said." Check it out below and view the pre-order options from the album here.
J Mascis - solo tour
Nov 07 -- Vancouver, BC @ Imperial
Nov 08 -- Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater
Nov 09 -- Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
Nov 10 -- Bellingham, WA @ Wild Buffalo House Of Music
Nov 14 -- San Francisco, CA @ Slim's
Nov 15 -- San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
Nov 16 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
Nov 17 -- Denver, CO @ Ophelia's Electric Soapbox
Nov 18 -- Fort Collins, CO @ Washington's
Nov 20 -- Chicago, IL @ City Winery
Nov 21 -- Chicago, IL @ City Winery
Nov 27 -- Atlanta, GA @ City Winery
Nov 28 -- Nashville, TN @ City Winery
Nov 29 -- Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
Nov 30 -- Detroit, MI @ El Club
Dec 01 -- Toronto, ON @ The Great Hall
Dec 04 -- Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
Dec 05 -- Washington, DC @ City Winery
Dec 07 -- Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade
Dec 08 -- New York, NY @ Public Arts
Dec 09 -- Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
Dec 12 -- Pawtucket, RI @ The Met
Dec 13 -- Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Dec 14 -- Northampton, MA @ Academy Of Music
Dec 15 -- Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall
London post-punk band White Lies have announced their new studio album Five will be released February 1st. The new album follows the release of 2016's Friends and includes 10 songs. Along with the album announcement White Lies shared the sprawling first single "Time To Give" and opened up pre-orders for the record. Check out the single below and view pre-order options here.
Presenting Classic Alternative - Episode #73: Subversion
Rock it old school! This week's show includes classics from Cocteau Twins, XTC, Depeche Mode, BMX Bandits, Echo & The Bunnymen, The The, Hüsker Dü, Oasis, Skinny Puppy, The Smiths, and something new from Richard Ashcroft.
Stream below or here and check out the full archive of episodes here or here.
Suede return with their hotly anticipated new studio album The Blue Hour on September 21st. The record is their eighth studio album and the third and final part of the triptych of albums they've recorded and released since reforming in 2013.
Suede have issued yet another glorious track from the album - stream "Flytipping" in full below along with the previously released tracks.
The Blue Hour is powerful and brilliant; this is by far one of the strongest works released in 2018.
Brett Anderson describes The Blue Hour as "diverse" and "complicated" and reveals the band is a bit of a sonic departure with experimental elements including the use of spoken word passages, a choir, and lush orchestral instrumentation courtesy of The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark announced plans to reissue their first four records on November 2nd. This is the first time Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Organisation, Architecture & Morality, and Dazzle Ships have been reissued on vinyl since the 80s. All four records have been remastered at half speed and include the original artwork designed by the mighty graphic artist icon Peter Saville.
Meanwhile OMD recently announced plans to record and release their upcoming shows with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. The exclusive shows take place October 6th and 7th at Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall. A full interrupted recording and best-of version featuring selections from both concerts are available to pre-order on vinyl and CD. Check out the pre-order options here.
Peter Murphy previously hinted at reissuing Bauhaus' catalog on colored vinyl to mark the legendary band's 40th anniversary. Today 4AD/Beggars Banquet announced full details and opened up pre-orders for these beautiful limited edition releases.
Six albums will be released in stages over the next three months: In The Flat Field (bronze vinyl), Mask (yellow vinyl), The Sky's Gone Out (violet vinyl), Press The Eject And Give Me The Tape (white vinyl), Burning From The Inside (blue vinyl), and Crackle (ruby vinyl). The albums will be released in stages over the next three months.
Two things to keep in mind regarding these releases: 1. The albums have been mastered from HD audio files transferred from the original tapes. These are NOT analogue to analogue. 2. The Sky's Gone Out and Burning From The Inside are unavailable domestically in North America, however fans can order the vinyl on import from the U.K.
View the pre-order options here or visit the links below.
As previously announced, The Bela Sessions which includes material from the band's first studio session in 1979 arrives on November 23rd on limited edition white and standard black vinyl. Those reissues are available here.
Peter Murphy is hitting the road next month with his ex-bandmate David J on the 40 Years Of Bauhaus Ruby Celebration which will see the legends perform In The Flat Field in full along with an extended encore of Bauhaus classics. There are no North American dates for the anniversary tour, though Murphy is scheduled to return to North America next March for his oft-rescheduled San Francisco solo album residency.
Today Murphy has taken to Instagram to wax poetic about life and consorting with dead somnambulant people. Prepare yourself and read what he had to say below.
"Don’t venture to ask how it is being with a Bauhaus “band member”: it is best unsaid, as post-traumatic as it is. Not due to creative reasons, entirely due to being consorting with dead somnambulant people. An affront awaits at any turn, a rock n roll slant, an arrogance coupled with breathtaking naivety that is expressed in such a harm that even a mugging victim is spared such depth of coarse blind of the sacred intimations: whatever that is that I was born with and have sought to refine, with divine education (and no I’m no spiritual dud seeker, I’m an alumni of Hak. The Real the Truth). At least David is in the throes of awakening. As for myself, I love these miscreants whatever."
Meanwhile if you missed the news earlier in the week, Bauhaus will release an EP titled The Bela Sessions on November 23rd. The five song EP includes material from their first recording session in 1979. View details on the release here.
It's been a few years, but the wait is over and TOY have returned with a new double A-side single. And what a return! "The Willo" is a sprawling feathery psychedelic journey; the remarkable flip side "Energy" ramps up the intensity and sounds like it would fit just perfectly on TOY's brilliant 2012 debut self titled album. This intriguing comeback single has been pressed on limited edition translucent vinyl and is available from Tough Love Records while quantities last.
Stream "The Willo" and "Energy" below via The Quietus.
Last week R.E.M. announced details for an 8CD/1DVD set which collects rare and previously unreleased live sessions and BBC performances from their heralded career. One of the highlights from R.E.M. at the BBC is their Nottingham's Rock City concert captured live in 1984. Today R.E.M. shared one of the songs from the concert - stream "Radio Free Europe" from the show below.
R.E.M. at the BBC will be released on October 19th and is available on 8CD/1DVD box or as a condensed set (2CD or 2LP, each with different tracklistings). View all the pre-order options here plus stream the previously issued version of "Losing My Religion" from their 1991 Into The Night session below.
Preoccupations and Protomartyr are hitting the road together for what is sure to be one of the best post-punk tours of 2018. The 20 date co-headline tour kicks off November 23rd in Toronto and includes a Detroit area stop December 4th at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor. View the full tour itinerary below.
Preoccupations released their third album New Material in the spring; Protomartyr released a 4 song EP Consolation, featuring Kelley Deal of The Breeders in June.
Preoccupations / Protomartyr tour
Nov 23 -- Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace
Nov 24 -- Ottawa, ON @ 27 Club
Nov 26 -- Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
Nov 28 -- New York, NY @ Warsaw
Nov 29 -- Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Nov 30 -- Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
Dec 01 -- Columbus, OH @ The Basement
Dec 03 -- Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place
Dec 04 -- Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
Dec 06 -- Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Dec 07 -- Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room
Dec 08 -- Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
Dec 10 -- Denver, CO @ Bluebird
Dec 12 -- Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall
Dec 13 -- Boise, ID @ Olympic
Dec 14 -- Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Dec 15 -- Vancouver, BC @ Venue
Dec 16 -- Seattle, WA @ Crocodile
Dec 18 -- San Francisco, CA @ Independent
Dec 19 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Regent
According to reports, Nivek Ogre (aka Kevin Ogilvie) was beaten unconscious and suffered a broken jaw only hours before ohGr's show in Philadelphia yesterday. The Skinny Puppy co-founder was treated for his injuries at a nearby hospital after the incident yet somehow still managed to perform the show! Fans report Ogre appeared to be in fine form and didn't tell fans what had happened to him until the encore! Truly a professional. And a legend.
Send your love and healing thoughts to Ogre.
ohGr are on the road in support of their excellent new album Tricks. Barring any fallout from yesterday's incident the TrickStour which also features Lead Into Gold continues in Boston tonight and will be in the Detroit area September 18th at Smalls in Hamtramck.
UPDATE: Watch fan filmed video of Ogre recounting the drama below courtesy of Krash Von Reichmann below:
Hey Philadelphia! Do you just not like Canadians?? First @hitchBOT gets murdered there, now @ohGrOfficial gets jumped and his jaw broken there! ( But still plays the show for you ) Whats up with that? #Philly#Philadelphia
Sep 12 -- Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
Sep 13 -- New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
Sep 15 -- Montreal, QC @ Les Foufounes Electriques
Sep 16 -- Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace
Sep 18 -- Hamtramck, MI @ Smalls
Sep 19 -- Cleveland, OH @ Agora Ballroom
Sep 21 -- Chicago, IL @ Metro
Sep 22 -- St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall
Sep 25 -- Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
Sep 26 -- Phoenix, AZ @ Club Red
Sep 27 -- Los Angeles, CA @ 1720
Last week Johnny Marr was honored at British GQ's Men Of The Year awards and received the Lifetime Achievement Award. This week the mag posted a feature on Marr and The Smiths with several vintage photos celebrating their great taste in fashion. View the photo spread here.
Meanwhile, Marr is about to hit the road in support of his new album Call The Comet. In advance of the September 15th kickoff Marr shared a short video titled But First, Guitars, where he discusses creating his own guitars and his lo-fi approach to touring. Check it out below.
Johnny Marr - North American tour
Sep 15 -- Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom
Sep 16 -- Chicago, IL @ Riot Fest
Sep 17 -- Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
Sep 20 -- Vancouver, BC @ Vogue
Sep 21 -- Seattle, WA @ Showbox
Sep 22 -- Portland, OR @ Roseland
Sep 24 -- Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
Sep 25 -- Berkeley, CA @ UC Theatre
Sep 26 -- San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Sep 28 -- Sonoma, CA @ Old Redwood Barn
Sep 29 -- Dana Point, CA @ Ohana Music & Arts Festival
Sep 30 -- Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee
Oct 02 -- Mexico City, MX @ Plaza Condessa
Oct 04 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Theatre at Ace Hotel
Oct 08 -- San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger
Oct 09 -- Dallas, TX @ Granada
Oct 10 -- Austin, TX @ Empire Control Room
Oct 11 -- Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
Oct 13 -- Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
Oct 15 -- New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
Oct 16 -- Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
Oct 17 -- Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
Oct 19 -- Toronto, ON @ Phoenix
Oct 20 -- Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
Oct 21 -- Boston, MA @ Paradise
Oct 22 -- Philadelphia, PA @ TLA
VNV Nation return with Noire on November 9th. The band's 10th studio album has been described by the band as "dark and intense energy that doesn’t hold back" and draws inspiration from "70s electronic rock to dark machine-room beats, post-punk, alternative 80s, blues, electronic-pop, cinematic orchestrations, post-classical, dark-ambient and minimalist music."
VNV Nation have not issued the first taste of music from the album yet, but today they opened up pre-orders and announced dates for a North American tour. Pre-order Noire on CD or limited edition clear vinyl here and view the tour itinerary below. Tickets for the November 30th stop at St. Andrew's are on sale now.
VNV Nation - North American tour
Nov 16 -- Austin, TX @ Barracuda
Nov 17 -- Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
Nov 19 -- Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
Nov 20 -- Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
Nov 21 -- St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
Nov 23 -- Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Nov 24 -- New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
Nov 25 -- Boston, MA @ Royale
Nov 27 -- Montreal, QC @ Corona Theater
Nov 28 -- Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
Nov 30 -- Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew's Hall
Dec 01 -- Chicago, IL @ The Metro
Dec 02 -- Minneapolis, MN @ Skyway Theater
Dec 04 -- Denver, CO @ The Oriental Theater
Dec 05 -- Salt Lake City, UT @ The Metro
Dec 07 -- Seattle, WA @ Neptune
Dec 08 -- Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
Dec 09 -- Vancouver, BC @ Imperial Theatre
Dec 12 -- San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom
Dec 13 -- Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
Dec 14 -- Phoenix, AZ @ Marquee
Dec 15 -- Las Vegas, NV @ Backstage
Echo & The Bunnymen return with their new album The Stars, The Oceans and The Moon on October 5th. The album includes orchestral reworks of Echo classics (minus drums out of respect to late drummer Pete de Freitas) along with two brand new songs. Echo previously issued the new track "The Somnambulist" and reworked version of "Seven Seas." Today, as promised they've unveiled their crown jewel -- the reimagined version of "the greatest song in the world."
Stream the transformed version of "The Killing Moon" below:
Ian McCulloch explained in a recent interview that he wanted to revisit Echo's classic material and record a version that captures his voice the way he sounds now. He is surprisingly critical of his early work and says he can't listen to a lot of it due to the sound of his voice. He claims his vocal delivery on his early albums was "false" and that he was trying too hard to copy his hero, David Bowie.
Even though some fans may think it's blasphemous to re-record such iconic Echo songs, McCulloch can't be bothered with that opinion:
"I've been on that moon...it's my moon, I can sing it how I want."
Indeed! And McCulloch has done it before -- he released live stripped down versions of Echo's classic material as bonus material on his 2013 solo album Holy Ghosts. Though his previously released live acoustic versions are impressive, Echo's new studio versions that are featured on The Stars, The Oceans & The Moon are more beautiful, ornate, and glorious larger-than-life reworkings.
Pre-order The Stars, The Oceans & The Moonhere and view the itinerary for their upcoming North American tour below:
The classic original version:
Echo & The Bunnymen - North American tour
Nov 17 -- Toronto, ON @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Nov 19 -- Northampton, MA @ Calvin Theatre
Nov 20 -- Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
Nov 21 -- New York, NY @ Town Hall Theatre
Nov 23 -- Detroit, MI @ Fillmore Detroit
Nov 24 -- Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
Nov 26 -- Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
Nov 27 -- Salt Lake City, UT @ Union Event Center
Nov 29 -- Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
Nov 30 -- Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
Dec 01 -- Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre
Dec 03 -- San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
Dec 04 -- Los Angeles, CA @ The Cathedral Sanctuary/Immanuel Presbyterian Church
In celebration of their 40th anniversary Bauhauswill release a five song EP featuring material from their first studio session on November 23rd. The session took place January 26th, 1979 - only six weeks after forming - and was where they recorded their seminal anthem "Bela Lugosi's Dead."
The Bela Sessions EP is the first and only official reissue of "Bela Lugosi's Dead" on vinyl and also includes three previously unreleased songs from the sessions "Some Faces," "Bite My Hip," and "Boys (Original)," along with the previously released 1982 track "Harry." All of the material has been newly mastered from the original analogue tape by Mandy Parnell at Black Saloon Studios.
The Bela Sessions will be released on limited edition white vinyl (only 1000 copies) and standard black vinyl. Both versions are pressed on 180 gm vinyl and come with a printed inner sleeve and poster. Pre-order through Bandcamp.
This release appears to be the first in a series of Bauhaus reissues that Peter Murphy hinted at previously. In July Murphy revealed that colored vinyl Bauhaus reissues are planned for later this year. Anticipate more news soon. Stay tuned!
Meanwhile Murphy posted some comments regarding the role the original Bauhaus movement had on the band and said it had no influence other than "the sound, shape, energetic and sensory birth name" of the group. Read his posting below:
"Bauhaus had no influence on Bauhaus except for being the sound, shape, energetic, and sensory Birth name of our group. The name was irresistibly genius as it was just waiting for the latter movement (us) to descend down into its spirit. There could only ever be our band to don its robe of existence with this our name. A predestination. "This ain't rock and roll...this is post avant-garde." The death of punk, the everything to piss n moan about of the pseudo angry punk bore, ran out. The beauty of the seers of beauty in even the apparent ugly exploded into being Us.(The Bauhaus furniture and a few buildings still looked great though.)"
Richard Ashcroft premiered the first single from his forthcoming album Natural Rebel today. "Surprised By The Joy" is Ashcroft's glorious life-affirming burst of optimism and gratitude. The video includes incredible cinematography and features Ashcroft riding around in a car, gallivanting on the beach with wife Kate Radley, (ex-Spiritualized), and rocking a shirt from Detroit's legendary boxing gym Kronk.
Before premiering "Surprised By The Joy" on the BBC he told host Chris Evans:
"It's in a way for me if I'm looking as a personal way, there's so much going on in the world, stuff that's kinda polarizing, dividing us. So much fear. And you can drown in that, you forget sometimes when you come out of that and very simple things just give you that joy, that feeling -- I'm born again, I'm reborn in a way every morning when I get up. I'm up, I'm back in the world. I'm thankful for the people who've joined me recently (on social media) and the ones who've been there from the start. Everyone around me -- my two beautiful boys and my wife, and everyone who helped me make this record and everyone who came out this summer, thank you so much. I'm surprised by the joy and that's the whole point. I'm surprised by the joy of finally stepping up to who I am, what I've done in the past, and being comfortable with that and wanting to take it further."
Ashcroft also told the BBC that one thing he loves about living in today's world is the technology and being able to connect with fans all over the world on social media and Instagram - something that wasn't an option back in the 90s when The Verve were around:
"Back in the day in my 20's I had a "mad" before my name -- I was Mad Richard. And if you got a real bad review you thought it was going to have an effect on your life as a young band or something, the influence is so powerful. But if we'd had Instagram then, if I'd known that there was a Verve fan down in Argentina that was really getting it! You know we just didn't have that understanding, truly, of how this music travels the world. So that's really opened up the world for the artist who have a direct contact with their audience which makes it, I think, much more real. Technology is changing but the main thing it's changing for me is I can go and check some dude and his family out and there's a picture of him on the beach with his dog somewhere...the other side of the world, and they're talking about how a certain song has influenced them. And you think yeah, this is why music is still the most powerful art form in the world because it's there, it's something that unifies us, it's not something that polarizes. Everything else just seems to separate us...music's real powerful right now and really important, more than ever. So I'm excited to just be a part of it."
Listen to the BBC's full interview with Richard Ashcroft here.
Meanwhile in a separate interview with Radio X Ashcroft revealed that Natural Rebel has more of a live feel to it and includes some of the heaviest guitars he's done as a solo artist as well as some of the most uplifting songs he's written. He liked the idea of recording a "proper" album with attention paid to how the record flows and ends. As an example he mentioned The Stone Roses closing out their debut album with "I Am The Resurrection" saying "I love the way Resurrection ends that album! What a great way to finish."
Ashcroft was quick to emphasize that he doesn't spend time trying to write music. He lets the music come to him - he doesn't sit down and plan things out. He used The Verve's "The Drugs Don't Work" as an example:
"With "The Drugs Don't Work" the line came out. I didn't sit down and write that line...just let it happen. I don't think it too much."
Ashcroft spoke about discovering music when he was growing up and said that The Smiths were his first real journey into music. He had loved songs and music before, but after hearing The Smiths he knew he wanted and needed to explore music further beyond just hearing the hits, etc.
The full interview with Ashcroft will be posted by Radio X tomorrow, but in the meantime head here to read Ashcroft's comments about politics and live shows from the interview.
Natural Rebel will be released on October 19th. View the pre-order options here.
