After last minute visa problems in 2009, Bernard Sumner of New Order had to cancel tour dates for his new group Bad Lieutenant, which included dates with The Pixies.
Bernard Sumner (guitar, vocals) and Phil Cunningham (guitar), along with Jake Evans (guitar, vocals), are thrilled to announce that the band is coming to America to play four dates that will include a special appearance at the Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival (4/17). Shows in San Francisco (4/16), Chicago (4/19) and New York (4/21) are also now confirmed.
Tickets for the San Francisco, Chicago and New York dates go on sale this week, (see itinerary below for details) and can be purchased at the respective venue’s box office and at ticketmaster.com
These dates will mark Bad Lieutenant’s U.S. concert debut and are in support of the band’s first album, Never Cry Another Tear, which was released last October through Original Signal Recordings.
“As promised,” said Bad Lieutenant’s Bernard Sumner, “we are coming to the U.S. to play our re-scheduled dates in Chicago and New York with the addition of the Coachella Festival and a concert in San Francisco. We are really looking forward to playing our songs live for our fans in the U.S. It’s been some quite time since I have played in America, and we are all very excited about the prospect.”
Of Never Cry Another Tear, one journalist wrote that it was “…confident and solid, and a winning combination for the old NO’ers and newcomers,” while another said it “…rings with familiar joys, playing off beautifully observed minimalism and a voice of wonderfully understated northern British soul.”
The track “Twist of Fate” is set for worldwide digital release March 23, and sees the band doing what they do best – 21st century guitar music, blending catchy guitar hooks, and pounding bass sitting perfectly with Sumner’s familiar, effortless vocal style. The track is already a firm live favorite and shows a more edgy side to the band than the summery, unbridled energy of the band’s first single, “Sink or Swim.”
Bad Lieutenant has already played a series of concerts in the UK and Europe, and these upcoming U.S. dates will be preceded by a string of concerts in Great Britain.
The core members of Bad Lieutenant – Sumner, Cunningham, and Evans – will be joined on these dates by former Joy Division/New Order drummer Stephen Morris (who also played on the new album) and bassist Tom Chapman. According to Sumner, “The bulk of the set will be Bad Lieutenant songs, but we’ll also play some songs from my past, some New Order songs, some Joy Division, and a few other surprises.”
Sumner, responsible for creating some of the most influential and popular music of the last 30 years, pulled together an impressive group of musicians to record Never Cry Another Tear – New Order guitarist Cunningham, Blur bassist Alex James, drummer Morris, and up-and-coming vocalist Evans. The album was produced by Sumner and recorded in the UK last year, with the essence of the new album being crisp, streamlined 21st century guitar music, underscored by keyboards and occasional melodica, and the distinct vocals and guitar work of Evans.
New Order, born from the ashes of the near-mythic English band Joy Division, was one of the most innovative and critically-acclaimed bands of the 1980s, embracing the electronic textures and dance rhythms of the underground club culture while maintaining a mysterious and distant image. The group’s pioneering fusion of modern aesthetics and dance music successfully bridged the gap between the two worlds, creating a distinctively thoughtful and oblique brand of pop. Between 1981 and 2005, New Order released eight studio albums, sold millions of albums worldwide and amassed Gold and Platinum awards. In addition, the band’s single “Blue Monday” bears the distinction of being the biggest-selling 12-inch of all time, having sold in excess of 3-million copies.
Confirmed U.K. and U.S. tour dates are as follows:
MARCH
15 Leadmill, Sheffield, England
16 Garage, Glasgow, Scotland
18 Electric Ballroom, London, England
20 53 Degrees, Preston, England
21 Masque, Liverpool, England
APRIL
16 Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA – (tickets on sale Sunday, February 14)
17 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Indio, CA (tickets on sale NOW)
19 Park West, Chicago, IL – (tickets on sale Saturday, February 13)
21 Webster Hall, New York, NY – (tickets on sale Friday, February 12)