British synthpop pioneers Heaven 17 failed to appear at last night’s Violent Femmes-headlined ’80s Weekend #9 concert in Los Angeles, but promised fans today that the visa troubles that kept them away won’t derail their first-ever U.S. tour planned for this May. Full details and tour dates here.
This week’s new releases include the first new studio album from The Jesus and Mary Chain in 18 years, plus the U.S. release of last year’s mammoth Erasure box set, new albums from The Residents and The Police’s Andy Summers, and a collection of remixes and rarities from A Flock of Seagulls.
Take a trip back to the 1983 installment of the US Festival — a four-day event over Memorial Day Weekend that year that drew an alleged 670,000 music fans into the middle of nowhere in California — with this 90-minute collection of footage from the fest’s “New Wave Day,” featuring performances by The Clash, INXS, Oingo Boingo, The English Beat and more.
Turns out the slimmed-down Regeneration Tour won’t be a West Coast-only trek after all: The organizers of the ’80s synthpop package tour have announced a pair of dates in New York this August, two concerts that will feature Erasure frontman Andy Bell and will feature Howard Jones.
Despite fans’ concerns that the entire trek had been scrubbed, it appears the Regeneration Tour is still on this summer, with Talking Heads spinoff Tom Tom Club and New Wave stars A Flock of Seagulls filling in at certain dates for The Human League, which quit the tour late month.
New Wave/synthpop combo Animotion — which reunited in 2008 and have toured sporadically since — played a gig in Atlantic City, N.J., last weekend, and mixed in with its ’80s favorites (‘Obsession,’ ‘Let Him Go,’ ‘I Engineer’) came this surprise cover of Depeche Mode’s monster hit ‘Enjoy the Silence.’
This week’s new releases include brand-new studio albums from Laurie Anderson (‘Homeland’) and Front Line Assembly (‘Improvised Electronic Device’), plus expanded reissues from Spandau Ballet (‘True,’ ‘Parade’) and A Flock of Seagulls (‘Listen’).
Tweet As threatened, ex-Ministry mastermind Al Jourgensen has released a Christmas song with guitarist Mark Gemini Thwaite in memory of late Killing Joke/Ministry bassist Paul […]
Q&A: Daniel Ash on Love and Rockets’ reunion, his new band — and figuring out how to play “So Alive” 
Q&A: Chris Frantz talks Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club and new book ‘Remain in Love’ 
Q&A: Hifi Sean on life after The Soup Dragons and the quest to make the perfect 7-inch 
Q&A: Steve Wynn on The Dream Syndicate’s first new album in nearly 30 years 
Q&A: Echo & The Bunnymen’s Will Sergeant on new instrumental trio Poltergeist 
Q&A: Steve Wynn on The Dream Syndicate reunion, upcoming tour — and new music 
Q&A: Bauhaus’ David J on his ‘accidental’ concept album ‘Not Long For This World’ 
Q&A: Howard Jones on revisiting ‘Human’s Lib,’ ‘Dream Into Action’ — and future plans 
Q&A: Peter Murphy on ‘Ninth,’ the break-up of Bauhaus, reuniting Dalis Car 
Q&A: Joey Santiago on Pixies’ ‘Doolittle’ tour, possible ‘Surfer Rosa’ shows, new album talk