MK ULTRA

Peter Hook & The Light return to North America from late April to early June 2018 with a run of shows performing Joy Division and New Order’s legendary Factory Records compilation albums “Substance” live, sequentially and in their entireties.

 

Having toured the albums to great reactions from critics and fans alike in late 2016, the tour sees Hooky and The Light return to some of the venues which witnessed those acclaimed shows as well as adding new venues and cities.

 

The tour begins on the Northern West Coast in late April ’18 and sees The Light play a mammoth 28 dates over nearly seven weeks ending up in Florida in early June ’18. Some of the reaction to the band’s previous North American Substance dates below.

 

“Concert goers were in for a real treat as fans lined up around the block of The Wiltern Theatre to catch legendary bassist, Peter Hook. It was hard not to feel the heaviness of love and pride that filled the room as fans watched Hooky perform their favourite Factory Records jams.”  – LA Record

 

“In the two-and-a-half hours he and The Light were on stage, it was hard to fathom how many hits New Order and Joy Division had. Just within the first hour, there were enough songs that some artists today wish they could both write and have in their arsenal. That is what great chemistry in a band does.” – Huffington Post

 

“Hook has proved all he needs to prove. If he retired tomorrow, his mark on music, his contributions to these bands, and frankly, his argument for what these bands should be is undeniable.” – Punk News

 

On The “Substance” Albums Of Joy Division & New Order

 

Released in August 1987, New Order’s Substance was originally conceived as a way for Factory Records boss, Tony Wilson, to play the New Order singles on the CD player of his new Jaguar car. Substance became the best selling New Order album ever upon its release, the double LP going on to sell 2 million copies in America alone.

 

Widely considered New Order’s strongest album, “their most popular, well known, highly rated and arguably the most influential” (Sputnik Music), Factory Records’ 200th release featured the bands seminal 12″ mixes of their singles as well as versions of ‘Confusion’ and Temptation re-recorded for the LP.

 

Running from “Ceremony” in 1981 up to “True Faith” in 1987 (again recorded especially for the album), the set takes in the high points of New Order’s catalogue, including “Temptation”, “Thieves Like Us”, “The Perfect Kiss” and “Bizarre Love Triangle”.

 

Released the following year in July 1988, Joy Division’s Substance features all the singles which did not appear on the albums such as “Transmission”, “Komakino”, “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and “Atmosphere”, as well as their b-sides, tracks from their EP “An Ideal For Living” and the Factory Records sampler.

 

Factory Records’ 250th release, it begins with “Warsaw” and takes in the development of the band through “Digital” and “Dead Souls” to the band’s final tracks. The collection demonstrates the same energy as a full length LP with several key B-sides added.

 

Allmusic called it “the best adjunct to the two albums anyone could want.”

 

Peter Hook & The Light have toured Joy Division and New Order’s albums extensively since debuting “Unknown Pleasures” back in 2010 with dates all across the world which have been very well received by critics and fans alike. (See below for review quotes.)

 

Tickets & Full Details At www.facebook.com/pg/peterhookandthelight/events and www.peterhook.co.uk/events

Thu 4/26/18 Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA

Fri 4/27/18 Brooklyn Steel , Brooklyn, NY

Sat 4/28/18 Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA

Mon 4/30/18 Fairmount Theatre, Montreal, QC

Tue 5/1/18 Danforth Music Hall, Toronto, ON

Thu 5/3/18 Royal Oak Music Hall, Royal Oak, MI

Fri 5/4/18 Metro, Chicago, IL

Sat 5/5/18 Majestic Theatre, Madison, WI

Mon 5/7/18 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN

Tue 5/8/18 Venue, Vancouver, BC

Thu 5/10/18 Neptune Theater, Seattle, WA

Fri 5/11/18 Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR

Sat 5/12/18 Warfield, San Francisco, CA

Mon 5/14/18 Brooklyn Bowl, Las Vegas, NV

Tue 5/15/18 Metro Music Hall, Salt Lake City, UT

Thu 5/17/18 Van Buren, Phoenix, AZ

Fri 5/18/18 Wiltern Los Angeles, CA (exclusive Unknown Pleasures/Closer Show)

Sat 5/19/1 House Of Blues, San Diego, CA

Mon 5/21/18 Ace Of Spades, Sacramento, CA

Tue 5/22/18 Granada, Dallas, TX

Wed 5/23/18 Mohawk, Austin, TX

Fri 5/25/18 Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC

Sat 5/26/18 Orange Peel, Asheville, NC

Sun 5/27/18 Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA

Tue 5/29/18 Exit / In, Nashville, TN

Wed 5/30/18 Paper Tiger, San Antonio, TX

Thu 5/31/18 Warehouse Live, Houston, TX

Sun 6/3/18 Plaza Live, Orlando, FL

Mon 6/4/18 State Theater, St. Petersburg, FL

For videos and concert footage from The Light check:

www.youtube.com/peterhookandthelight

www.facebook.com/peterhookandthelight / www.twitter.com/peterhook

www.instagram.com/peterhook_thelight

On “Substance” – Joy Division:

“Substance, in all of its 17 tracks, provides the perfect snapshot of the all-too-short career of the post-punk legends… Although an entirely different experience from either Joy Division album, Substance is a perfectly ordered compilation with nothing but amazing singles filling up its 60+ minute running time.”  – Sputnik Music

 

On “Substance” – New Order:

“This assemblage of 12-inch singles and remixes charts New Order’s transformation from gloom rockers to electro-disco pioneers. Club hits like “Blue Monday” and “Bizarre Love Triangle” are full of bass melodies that beat-loving guitar bands are still trying to figure out.”- Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time

 

 

On Peter Hook And The Light Live:

“Peter Hook & The Light have developed into a well-oiled machine that – whisper it – actually deliver these songs better than the current line-up of New Order….they’ve become an impressive tour de force more than worthy of associating themselves with arguably two of the finest back catalogues in rock and roll history.” – Drowned In Sound

 

 

‘A masterclass in euphoria and heartache in equal measure…. The chronology of the set played perfectly as high spirits continued to grow right up until the end of the show.”  – Gigwise

 

 

“This is New Order reinvigorated, reenergized; Hooky has arguably reclaimed the songs and is delivering them with heart and soul.” – Louder Than War

 

 

“It was certainly one of those special shows were the venue, artist, and fans all clicked perfectly to make for a very memorable experience and a blazing hot and awesome show by a legendary artist and performer, who in my opinion is the heart and soul of New Order keeping the most authentic live performance of their music alive for old and new fans.” – Rock Subculture

 

 

“By focusing solely on the music, and allowing the songs inherent structure to do the heavy lifting instead of blowing them up into pseudo-stadium cuts, their inherent virtues were that much more apparent. Frankly, these songs rock…..This is Peter Hook and his band taking a chance, dusting off wrongly ignored tunes, and kicking ass. “ – Punk News

Vinnie Vincent and Gene Simmons April 2018

Vinnie Vincent has confirmed plans to write and publish his autobiography. Speaking to the “Talking Metal” podcast, the former KISS guitarist said the book will contain “all the real answers — the in-depth answers to everything… everything, everything, everything. Because when I give interviews, I give part of the answer, but there’s no way you’re gonna be able to hear everything — ’cause it’s too deep, it’s too dark, and it’s places that I’m gonna go only once, and when I do, it’s not gonna be in front of an audience until the book actually does come out,” he said.

 

According to Vincent, no stone will be left unturned in an effort to provide a true account of his life so far.

 

“I’ve been away 20 years, not by choosing, but because of events that happened,” he said. “So those events will be really talked about in uncomfortable depth — because it’s cathartic, number one; number two, the fans deserve to know; and I deserve to tell it. And it’s nice to be back, but you can only be back unless… The meaning of being back, the reason and the meaningfulness of being back can only depend on the resolve of the past. So the future has to be dependent on how the past is resolved; otherwise, the future is never really… [it never] sets its pace in firm ground. So, in order for me to feel like I’m moving forward, I cannot look back anymore. So it has to have some resolve, and that book is my resolve.”

 

Vinnie says that he has already found “a book writer” help him put together the autobiography and has vowed to speak with him “on very deep levels” about all the things he has experienced during his life.

 

“It’s gonna be a very interesting read and something that will be not a one-time picking it up and never reading it again,” Vincent promised. “If I have my way — which I will — it will be something that I wanna read a few times. Even though whatever happened to me happened, I wanna make sure that it’s compelling enough where I get to pick it up and not put it down for a while. And if I can do that… It’s almost like a record. If I could listen to my own recordings, which a lot of times is difficult, but if I can listen to my own recordings and actually enjoy them, then I know I’ve done something that is satisfying to me. So I want the book to be that way. And there’s a lot to tell.”

 

Vincent hopes to complete his autobiography “within a year.”

 

Vinnie joined KISS in 1982, replacing Ace Frehley. As the “Ankh Warrior,” he toured with the group in support of “Creatures Of The Night”, on which he played lead guitar on six songs prior to becoming an official member of the band. From there, KISS wrote and released “Lick It Up” — their first album without makeup — in 1983, a recording on which Vincent co-wrote eight of 10 songs, including the title track, which remains a staple of the group’s live performances to this day.

 

Despite the album’s success, Vincent was fired by KISS after the “Lick It Up” touring cycle came to an end, allegedly due to a dispute over both the terms of his employment contract with the band and royalties. From there, Vincent founded VINNIE VINCENT INVASION, which recorded two albums.

 

In 1992, Vincent re-teamed with KISS principals Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley to write three songs for their acclaimed album “Revenge”, including the record’s first two singles, “Unholy” and “I Just Wanna”. Their relationship quickly soured once again, however. Four years later, Vincent released a solo EP, “Euphoria”, which featured vocals by former VVI singer Fleischman and included material from sessions recorded around 1990. Soon after that, Vincent vanished from the public eye and remained off the grid for more than two decades.

 

In recent years, Vincent has been the subject of a number of rumors about his gender identity, including that he has been cross-dressing and that he has undergone a sex change.

Photo credit: Joseph Cultice

 

Los Angeles, CA – April 23, 2018 – Garbage today announced a short US tour in support of the recently announced 20th anniversary edition of their legendary second album Version 2.0. The tour, which kicks off on September 29th in Seattle, WA and wraps on October 27th in Brooklyn, NY, will see them perform the classic album in full, as well as a number of B-sides from the reissue. Tickets for the tour will be on sale at 10:00am local time on April 27th and be available HERE. A complete list of upcoming US tour dates can be found below.

 

Garbage announced the 20th anniversary edition of Version 2.0 last month. Due for release on Stunvolume/PIAS on June 22, the package will feature the whole original album, as well as 10 B-sides from the era.

 

“Version 2:0 is in my opinion the quintessential garbage record,” shared Garbage singer Shirley Manson. “We are all very grateful to the millions of people who took it to their hearts at the time it was released and to those who continue to love on it still”.

Initially released in May 1998, Version 2.0 spawned fan-favorites such as “Push It”, “I Think I’m Paranoid” and “Special”. Shortly after its release, the Recording Industry Association of America honored the album with a platinum certification for exceeding 1 million units sold. Version 2.0 went on to sell over 4 million copies worldwide. The album was nominated for a total of four Grammy Awards, including Album Of The Year and Best Rock Album. The album’s third single “Special” was further nominated the following year for Best Rock Song and for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. The video for “Push It” was nominated for eight MTV Video Music Awards.

 

Speaking about the enduring legacy of the record, the band’s drummer and co-producer Butch Vig explains: “Version 2.0 is the sound of a band growing up, evolving, and more than anything, gaining confidence. When we started recording, we made a conscious decision to not re-invent ourselves, but rather take everything we learned from our debut album and filter it through the new digital technology we were grappling with. Sonically, the album has moments of razor sharp clarity and soft beauty. Indeed, it’s possibly our best album.”

Garbage US Tour Dates

9/29/18 – Showbox SoDo – Seattle, WA
9/30/18 – Roseland Theatre – Portland, OR
10/3/18 – Fox Theater – Oakland, CA
10/5/18 – Cosmopolitan Hotel – Las Vegas, NV
10/7/18 – Marquee Theatre – Tempe, AZ
10/9/18 – Sunshine Theatre – Albuquerque, NM
10/11/18 – House of Blues – Dallas – Dallas, TX
10/12/18 – House of Blues – Houston – Houston, TX
10/13/18 – Paradise Cove at River Spirit Casino Resort – Tulsa, OK
10/17/18 – Riviera Theater – Chicago, IL
10/18/18 – Hard Rock Live – Northfield, OH
10/20/18 – Capitol Theatre – Port Chester, NY
10/21/18 – Lincoln Theatre – Washington DC
10/23/18 – House of Blues – Boston, MA
10/25/18 – The Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA
10/26/18 – Borgata Spa & Resort – Music Box – Atlantic City, NJ
10/27/18 – Kings Theatre – Brooklyn, NY

Version 2.0 Tracklist:

1. Temptation Waits
2. I Think I’m Paranoid
3. When I Grow Up
4. Medication
5. Special
6. Hammering in My Head
7. Push It
8. The Trick Is to Keep Breathing
9. Dumb
10. Sleep Together
11. Wicked Ways
12. You Look So Fine

B-Sides:

1. Can’t Seem To Make You Mine
2. 13x Forever
3. Deadwood
4. Get Busy With The Fizzy
5. Soldier Through This
6. Thirteen
7. Lick The Pavement
8. Medication (Acoustic)
9. Tornado
10. Afterglow

SOURCE: www.regenmag.com

 

Poptone – the latest musical partnership between Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskins, and featuring Diva Dompé – has announced the release of a self-titled debut album. Long known for their collective work in Bauhaus, Love and Rockets, and Tones on Tail, Poptone – named after a P.I.L. track – marks the pair’s fourth musical collaboration. The band grew out of Ash’s desire to perform live again, following a format similar to his 2014 solo album, Stripped, which itself was a collection of reinterpreted material from his past outlets. Poptone then toured throughout 2017 with a set that focused heavily on Tones on Tail, a band that had only performed 27 live dates during its existence from 1982 to 1984. “I feel that there are many people who didn’t get a chance to see us back in the day,” Haskins states, “and so I am excited for them to hear these weird and wonderful songs played live again. With the addition of Bauhaus and Love and Rockets material, it’s a veritable feast for the ears!”

In addition, Poptone will be performing another series of North American dates, beginning May 10 in Solana Beach, CA and continuing until May 20 in Vancouver; a full listing of tour dates can be found on the band’s website www.poptonetheband.com With a release date of June 8 via Cleopatra Records, the Poptone LP will feature 13 tracks from the band’s set, originally recorded for a Part Time Punks session on KXLU, and will be available in CD, digital, and a 2LP vinyl set, with advance copies available exclusively at the band’s upcoming live shows; pre-orders are now available via Bandcamp. The album follows hot on the heels of Kevin Haskins’ Bauhaus – Undead: The Visual History and Legacy of Bauhaus coffee table book, released on March 16, also on Cleopatra Records. Daniel Ash also recently released a new solo single, “Alien Love,” available exclusively on his website.

On June 22, 2018, Alex Paterson’s longstanding electronic titans THE ORB present the new album NO SOUNDS ARE OUT OF BOUNDS, which, as the title suggests, finds them embracing an anything-goes new approach to creative freedom.
Refreshing and reinventing the predominantly two-man set up with Thomas Fehlmann on the prior two albums (Moonbuilding 2703 AD and COW / Chill Out World!), No Sounds… is intentionally an ensemble piece, featuring a large cast of big names, cult heroes, rising talent and fresh newcomers.

Alex Paterson, Thomas Fehlmann, Youth, Roger Eno, Hollie Cook and Guy Pratt take star turns, as does heroic bassist Jah Wobble, who returns to the fold following the bassbin-bullying anthem “Blue Room”.

Additional supporting roles come from Gaudi, Roney FM and Michael Rendall, plus vocalists Brother Culture, Mary Pearce, Emma Gillespie, Rianna, and Andy Cain – who’s best known for voicing Mark Ernestus and Moritz Von Oswald’s deep house gems “I’m Your Brother” and “A New Day”.

 

Alex explains:

“I wanted to try something with more musicians and more voices. More contributors essentially – similar to the conditions our first album Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld were recorded in.

Thomas and I made two streamlined, techno-style albums for Kompakt which I love, but this time I wanted a change to expand the palate, and to bring in other elements that will keep people guessing and keep them confused.

This is a more English and less German sounding LP and it’s on an English label, although obviously the music comes from all over the globe and beyond, as do the musicians.”

 

Despite featuring a cheeky nod to their remix of Primal Scream’s “Higher Than The Sun”, vocal led opener “The End Of The Road” makes it clear this is virgin territory. But despite new paths being forged, Paterson’s omnipresent humor remains on “I Wish I Had A Pretty Dog”’s animalistic rhythm – joined by tablas, strings, half speed beats and bass, which collide like planets in the cosmos.

Hollie Cook returns a favor following Alex’s production work on her Vessel Of Love album, lending her vocals to the Battersea-referencing, classic dub house throbber “Rush Hill Road”, alongside Brother Culture.

The first of several tracks to feature Roney FM’s plummy, faux vintage BBC voice, “Pillow Fight At Shag Mountain” is airy and bright like stratus on a clear day, bubbling in pleasing fashion through various styles and samples tethered by Jah Wobble’s bass and Roger Eno’s piano, somehow coalescing, making illogical logic in a way only The Orb can.

“Isle Of Horns” pares things down to a loping, dusty and organically-minimal piece that’s closer to the last two albums, yet works well as a subtler break from other more maximal moments herein.

Driven by Youth’s double bass, “Wolfbane” is a lysergic romp through hip hop across the ages, from Run DMC to Dre to Dilla. It also withholds the anti-war stance expressed on COW, putting vintage nuclear threat back on the menu, thanks to Trump, Jong-un and Putin.

Paying homage to another or Alex’s faves is the boom bap of “Doughnuts Forever”, which swings from chilling, pensive atmosphere into reassuringly lush, 50’s Hollywood strings and back again.

 

Featuring the singing and poetry of Rianna, the “small dittie” “Drift” offers another pleasant moment of calm reflection, before “Wobble’s phenomenal bassline and Roger’s supreme piano” on “Easy On The Onions” elevates the listener blissfully skywards above Bermondsey and “West Snorewood”.

 

“Ununited States” takes a darker but breathtaking turn, with Eno’s playing taking center stage on what Alex claims is “how the new ‘Blade Runner’ score should’ve sounded” – and it’s hard to disagree.
Ending the album on majestic form (and also mirroring Ultraworld’s lengthy closer “A Huge Evergrowing Pulsating Brain…”) is the 15-minute classic opus “Soul Planet”, which finds the vocal axis between divas of house music and Pink Floyd’s Great Gig In The Sky. Disembodied voices float in a black hole, before an undulating throb cuts through the darkness, with layers of detail gradually building to a gentle euphoria, before drifting back into the darkness of space, with a lonely piano refrain.

 

Really, The Orb should need no introduction by now, but in essence they’re a rotating cast of members with Paterson at the helm that began in 1988 and still thrives to this day. They were there since UK acid house day one, providing a unique ambient take on the musical milieu and soon rising to chart-topping, huge-venue-headlining prominence. They’ve released 17 albums plus EPs, singles, compilations and live recordings, influencing countless other musicians along the way.

The Orb present ‘ORBFEST’ at the Roundhouse in London on Saturday, June 23, 2018

 

‘NO SOUNDS ARE OUT OF BOUNDS’ Track Listing

1. ‘The End of the End’
2. ‘Wish I Had a Pretty Dog’
3. ‘Rush Hill Road’
4. ‘Pillow Fight @ Shag Mountain’
5. ‘Isle of Horns’
6. ‘Wolfbane’
7. ‘Other Blue Worlds’
8. ‘Doughnuts Forever’
9. ‘Drift’
10. ‘Easy On the Onions’
11. ‘Ununited States’
12. ‘Soul Planet’

The Damned have released a music video for their track “Look Left.” The song comes from their group’s first new studio album in a decade called “Evil Spirits”

 

Classic Rock reports that the new album looks likely to crash into the UK album chart this week. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” says frontman Dave Vanian. “But it feels great to finally get there as it’s been a long time coming. We’ve had lots of top ten singles but never an album. Even when Eloise was a big hit we were pipped to the number one spot by a novelty song by (British comedy actor and singer) Su Pollard! This time we’ve had Kylie and the Manics to compete with. A huge thanks to the fans, of course, without whom this record would never have been made. It feels amazing to finally get it out there.”

 

Drummer Pinch, who wrote the track, had this to say, “While everybody’s looking left, what the hell is happening right. Tough subject matter is easier to digest when coated in honey rather than vinegar and the message in this song is so important, I couldn’t risk it being a throw away aggro punk tune that was immediately overlooked. I see it more as a love song to the human race. The future is here, and until you awaken your mind, I’ll wait for you.”