After three consecutive Top 5 albums, White Lies can now announce that they will release their fourth album ‘Friends’ on October 7th. The first release under a new deal with Infectious/BMG, ‘Friends’ follows their #1 debut album ‘To Lose My Life...’ (2009) as well as ‘Ritual’ (#3, 2011) and ‘Big TV’ (#4, 2013).
With ‘Friends’, White Lies haven’t so much abandoned their trademark synth-rock sound as given it a spring clean by exploring new sounds. For many reasons, it felt like a fresh start. The trio were temporarily without a label after a bout of record company reorganisation. Rather than re-sign straight away, they decided to start ‘Friends’ under their own steam without the pressure of a deadline or a budget, or even the guidance of a producer.
Whatever sound each song suggested, White Lies went with it. Hence, when ‘Hold Back Your Love’ and ‘Is My Love Enough’ sparkled with disco grooves, they embraced it. When the beautiful ballad ‘Don’t Fall’ jettisoned their signature sound entirely, leaving only frontman Harry McVeigh’s sumptuous, sonorous vocals to connect it to White Lies of old, they stuck with it. Similarly, when the triumphant ‘Summer Didn’t Change A Thing’ harked back to the arena-ready rock of their debut, they didn’t mind.
The changing nature of relationships is a recurring theme throughout the album.
“In the past couple of years, we’ve noticed friends’ life situations causing them to make big decisions – marriages, kids, moving out of London,” says bassist and lyricist Charles Cave. “Friendships have begun to feel adult and our perception of time has changed. As kids, if you didn’t see a mate for a fortnight, you’d wonder what was wrong. Now you might not see someone for six months and it doesn’t matter.”
‘Friends’ has been launched with the brand new single ‘Take It Out On Me’ which is available now and impacts on August 12th. It’s a track which started as an experiment in which Cave aimed to write a chorus using just numbers.
“Right up until we recorded the song it was called 89-1-3,” he says. “It was inspired by a lunatic on Instagram who kept commenting on a friend’s photos in pseudo Biblical verse. From his profile I discovered he lived in a remote cabin with a rough-looking dog. He posted weird videos in which he quoted random numbers. As a challenge, I turned them in to a song. The only problem was that it went so well everyone said it should be the first single, so I relented and gave the chorus real lyrics.”
‘Friends’ was recorded in Bryan Ferry’s private studio in London’s Olympia and was self-produced by the band. White Lies enlisted the help of an expert team including Grammy Award-winning engineer James Brown (Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkeys), David Wrench (Caribou, FKA twigs) on mixing duties and long-term collaborator Ed Buller who contributed additional production.
The ten-track album will be released on CD, vinyl, picture disc, digital download and streaming formats, as well as a special box set edition which will include a cassette and four exclusive bonus tracks. Pre-orders are now open at all retailers including White Lies’ official store, iTunes and Amazon where ‘Take It Out On Me’ is available as an immediate download.
White Lies - completed by drummer Jack Brown - can also announce details of an extensive UK and European tour which stretches from late September through to the start of December. It includes a major homecoming show at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on November 22nd.
The band’s full tour schedule is:
September
28th - Turkey, Istanbul, Babylon
30th - Greece, Thessaloniki, Principal Club Theatre
October
1st - Greece, Athens, Iera Odos
13th - Netherlands, Amsterdam, Paradiso
14th - Netherlands, Nijmegen, Doornroosje
15th - France, Paris, Trabendo
17th - Luxembourg, Atelier
18th – Belgium, Brussels, AB
21st - Germany, Frankfurt, Gibson
22nd - Germany, Osnabruck, Rosenhof
23rd - Germany, Cologne, Kantine
25th - Denmark, Copenhagen, Vega
26th - Sweden, Stockholm, Debaser
27th - Norway, Oslo, Rockefeller
29th - Denmark, Aarhus, Train
30th - Germany, Hamburg, U&G
31st - Germany, Berlin, Huxleys
November
2nd - Poland, Gdansk, Stary Manez
3rd - Poland, Warsaw, Progesja
4th - Czech Republic, Prague, Lucerna Music Hall
5th - Austria, Vienna, Ottakringer Brauerei
8th - Croatia, Zagreb, Tvornika Kulture
9th - Germany, Munich, Fabrik
10th - Switzerland, Zurich, Kauflauten
11th - Switzerland, Lausanne, Metropop Festival
13th - Italy, Rome, Orion
14th - Italy, Milan, Fabrique
16th - Spain, Barcelona, Razzmatazz
17th - Spain, Madrid, Arena
18th - Portugal, Lisbon, CCB
22nd - UK, London, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
24th - UK, Nottingham, Rock City
25th - UK, Manchester, Albert Hall
26th - UK, Liverpool, Arts Club
27th - UK, Glasgow, O2 ABC
29th - UK, Birmingham, O2 Institute
30th - UK, Leeds, Stylus
December
1st - UK, Bristol, O2 Academy
The sensation is perfect! From fans often desired and wishfully awaited, today we have a very special announcement for you: DIARY OF DREAMS and DIORAMA will play three concerts together in September 2016.
DIORAMA are currently working on their next album. With a bit of luck you will get a first taste of the new master piece.
DIARY OF DREAMS & DIORAMA -
Coma Alliance Tour 2016
16.09.2016 Krefeld, Kulturfabrik
17.09.2016 Dresden, Reithalle Strasse E
18.09.2016 Heidelberg, Halle02
It is official now: SPIELBANN will go on „HeimSuchung“ Tour in Oktober 2016
After proving their live qualities on two ASP tours the five sympathy musicians from Saarland now present their own headliner tour. SPIELBANN are ready to fascinate their fans, old and new ones, with energetic shows, catchy melodies, electronic-orchestral sounds and a powerful fulminating sound wall. With their enormous stage presence and passion SPIELBANN make every show an unforgettable and inspiring event. On board they have their two fascinating releases: „In Gedenken“ and „Wiedergänger“!
HeimSuchung Tour 2016
08.10.2016 Hamburg, Logo
14.10.2016 Bochum, Matrix
15.10.2016 Hameln, Autumn Moon Festival
21.10.2016 Stuttgart, ClubCANN
22.10.2016 Munich, Backstage Club
04.11.2016 Frankfurt, Das Bett
05.11.2016 Berlin, Frannz
Prophecy Fest 2016 draws close - the organisation is looking forward a lot to a big gathering with many fans and friends and a singular musical program in just one month from now!
Since the last Prophecy Fest mailing they have been able to organize two more highly attractive items on the agenda: already on Thursday (July 28) there will be a concert evening of our friends of the Trollmusic label as an opening event. On Saturday morning there will be a performance of Wöljager's music theatre play(!) "Vom Leben und Sterben". Here the exact running order of the full event:
Thursday, July 28 (Hönnetalhalle, Balve):
19.00 Trollmusic concert evening
Alvenrad / Mirna's Fling / The Good Hand
Friday, July 29 (Balver Höhle, Balve):
15.20 Hekate
17.10 Germ
18.30 Les Discrets
20.15 Iron Mountain
21.45 Secrets of the Moon
23.30 Helrunar
Saturday, July 30 (Hönnetalhalle, Balve)
11.00 Wöljager (music theatre, seated)
Saturday, July 30 (Balver Höhle):
13.50 Völur
15.10 Bohren & der Club Of Gore
16.50 Antimatter
18.30 GlerAkur
20.00 Alcest
21.50 Sol Invictus
23.20 Vemod
Apart from that each attendee will receive an exclusive hardcover programme (format: 18x18 cm, 72 pages) with 2(!) audio CDs and a DVD for free! Please find attached the book cover with an illustration of Fursy Teyssier, the art director of this year's Prophecy Fest. Here the track lists of the DVD and CDs:
Live DVD "Prophey Fest 2015"
1. Crone - Perfect Army
2. Lifelover - Mitt Öppna Öga
3. Amber Asylum - Autonomy Suite
4. Camerata Mediolanense - Canzone All'Italia
5. Darkher - Hollow Veil
6. Empyrium - The Franconian Woods In Winter's Silence
7. Tenhi - Uuvu Oravan Luu
8. Vemod - Ikledd Evighetens Kappe
CD1
1. Germ - An Overdose On Cosmic Galaxy
2. Alcest - Percées De Lumière
3. GlerAkur - Can't You Wait
4. Iron Mountain - Enthralldom
5. Antimatter - Leaving Eden
6. Les Discrets - Virée Nocturne
7. Bohren & der Club Of Gore - Prowler
CD2
1. Völur - Es wächst aus seinem Grab
2. Secrets Of The Moon - Man Behind The Sun
3. Helrunar - Magdeburg brennt
4. Vemod - Venter På Stormene
5. Wöljager - Up'n Likwäg
6. Sol Invictus - Kneel To The Cross
7. Hekate - Die Sonne im Geiste
On September 5th Fuzz Club will be releasing the third LP Everything Is A Lie from Southampton's Dead Rabbits. The LP follows on from their previous Fuzz Club LPs Time Is Your Only Enemy and The Ticket That Exploded and yet again reaffirms the band as one of the most exciting and refreshing outfits in the wave of current shoegaze bands. It’s the mesmerising concoction of shoegaze, neo-psych and post-punk, delivered with a lethargic but hopeful restraint that is pinning the band at the top of the UKs fruitful ‘psych-gaze’ scene and Everything Is a Lie is certain to keep them sitting there comfortable for a while.
‘Everything Is a Lie’ could be plucked straight out of 1989, deeply indebted to Spacemen 3, Loop and My Bloody Valentine, it feels languorous and apathetic at times but frontman Thomas’s fragile yet hopeful croons drive it with an insatiable vigour from start to finish. Washed-out fuzz-encrusted guitars are underpinned by whirling bass-lines that Peter Hook would be proud of, if not envious. Hazy synths crash over you whilst thundering percussion locks the album into a deep psychedelic groove, hitting you square in the face like an immersive wall of noise.
Dead Rabbits formed in 2011 and since then have been busy playing countless gigs and tours throughout the UK and Europe - appearing at Eindhoven Psych Lab, Common People, Cosmosis Festival and sharing the stage with the likes of The Warlocks, Band of Skulls, Yuck, Night Beats, Crystal Stilts and The Telescopes.
