| The Membranes
New double album Dark Matter due October 27th via Cherry Red Records
Special performance at Blackpool Tower August 8th
Legendary underground eighties UK band The Membranes announce their first album for 25 years. Dark Matter, is due for release October 27th via Cherry Red Records.
Dark Matter is a melting pot of post punk, psychedelic rock, noise and drone. Also harboring neo classical pieces, the album is an aural adventure all about the universe, tangled within an autobiographical tale of life and death.
The album is preceded by a very special gig at the top of Blackpool Tower on August 8th where the band will be revealing material from the record. The gig will be held on the glass observation platform at the top of Blackpool Tower, 158 meters above ground level. A fitting location with stunning views over the bands hometown, and the center focus of an upcoming documentary about the unique group, due for broadcast in the autumn.
The Membranes claim the album is “not a rock n roll project, but a high decibel orchestra playing discordant death disco symphonies about life and the universe and beyond. With music that varies from classic Membranes discordant noise, to drone rock epics, to neo classical orchestrated pieces to psych outs, to a walk on the dark side exercise in post punk with dark dub exercises…”
The Dark Matter album was inspired by the band's friendship with scientists from the Higgs Boson project. This resulted in a sold out gig last year called 'The Universe Explained’ where the band interviewed scientists on stage, showed films about the universe, and held art installations, all of which formed the concept for this album.
A brief history of The Membranes:
The Membranes were a key UK underground band. They pondered the death to the traditional rock sound that formed the bedrock of the noisier end of C86, as well as being a key influence on Big Black and the noise of the emerging US underground.
When they moved to Manchester they rehearsed next door to the, then, just formed Stone Roses. After striking up a friendship with the ‘Roses, they were told by Mercury Rev, Lambchop and many other American underground bands that their music was an unlikely yet key influence on their bands, due to the long and chaotic tours of the USA that The Membranes played when signed to Homestead records.
The band, who reformed to play the 2009 ATP Festival at the request of My Bloody Valentine and then Shellac, are planning a summer of festivals and other ‘activities’ before they release their first album for 25 years this October.
Live Dates:
June 14th - London C86 festival
June 21st - Helsinki
August 8th - Blackpool Tower (‘158 live’)
August 23rd - Brighton Concorde 2 (the Wedding Present’s at the Seaside Festival)
September 13th - Wakefield Long Division Festival
October 21st - Helsinki
November - Brazil tour
December 3rd - Berlin
Tickets: http://louderthanwar.com/shop/tickets-2/the-membranes-live/
Find The Membranes online at:
www.facebook.com/theMembranes
www.themembranes.co.uk
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