Folk Devils — an ’80s blues-influenced post-punk act fronted by the late Ian Lowery of Ski Patrol — will continue a reunion that began last year with the release of the retrospective Beautiful Monsters, having now announced summer dates in their native U.K. with Inca Babies.
The two bands will five play U.K. shows, including concerts in Manchester, Glasgow and London, in July, plus they’ll each appear at a John Peel tribute festival called Peel Regenerated in October.
Folk Devils reunited last year after Nick Clift, who played with Lowery in Ski Patrol, compiled Beautiful Monsters (Singles & Demo Recordings 1984-86) for release on Optic Nerve Recordings.
That prompted original Folk Devils guitarist Kris Jozajtis and bassist Mark Whiteley to reunite with late-period drummer John Hamilton, and enlist Dave Hodgson, of Parting Shots, to sing in place of Lowery, who died in 2001, for shows late last year.
Of the band’s reunion, Jozajtis says:
“Getting back together for live shows happened because of the release of Beautiful Monsters last September, and the collective need of the surviving Devils to mark that event by doing what we used to do best — playing the songs live. It certainly wasn’t about nostalgia, although there was always a sense of unfinished business after we called it a day in the ’80s. Of course, we wanted to honor the memory and singular talent of Ian. Much of what he wrote is even more resonant now, as many critics realize. Finding Dave Hodgson, who knew Lowery and has a real connection with the material, was crucial to making the reunion work. However, we also wanted to see if we could rekindle the fire which had characterized the sound of the band. I guess audiences can judge whether we’ve succeeded in that for themselves. But the fact that we’re all investing time, energy and money in this project will tell you what we think.”
Folk Devils will be joined on their summer U.K. tour by the current incarnation of Inca Babies, centered around founding frontman Harry Stafford, who is joined by drummer Rob Haynes (The Membranes, Goldblade) and bassist Vince Hunt (A Witness). That band has released several albums since reuniting in 2007, most recently The Stereo Plan, issued in 2014.
Below, see the bands’ tour dates.
Folk Devils and Inca Babies tour dates:
July 14: The Whiskey Jar, Manchester, UK
July 15: The Shacklewell Arms, London, UK
July 16: The Charles Bradlaugh, Northampton, UK
July 21: O2 ABC2, Glasgow, UK
July 22: Neuadd Ogwen, Bethesda, N. Wales, UK
Oct. 28: Peel Regenerated, Westgarth Social Club, Middlesbrough, UK
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Goth box: 5-disc ‘Silhouettes & Statues: A Gothic Revolution 1978-1986’ out in June
- Ski Patrol collects its recorded output on ‘Versions Of A Life (Recordings 1979-81)’
