This year marks 40 years since the formation of Bauhaus. To mark this occasion, founding member David J has announced two one-off solo UK concerts, to occur in between several festival dates with Bauhaus vocalist Peter Murphy and their newly-announced world tour. The second of these shows, ‘Back to Beck (The Crucible of ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’), is a historic intimate event preceded by a larger London date.
Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction once described David J as the Avant of the Avant-garde, with good reason. Since Bauhaus disbanded in 1983, David has enjoyed a long and varied solo career. The first of Bauhaus’ members to actively step outside of the comfort zone of his original band, he released his debut album ‘Etiquette of Violence’ that same year and has since released numerous solo albums, founded the hugely successful Love and Rockets, produced and played bass with The Jazz Butcher, and joined the reformed Bauhaus again twice for world tours.
On Sunday, August 26, David J will play to a small crowd as part of a cozy very limited capacity experience as he returns to Beck Studios in Wellingborough, England to play a special live acoustic concert. This is not just any studio – in 1979, Bauhaus recorded their first single there – the classic ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’, featuring lyrics composed by David J. This massively significant single, released via Small Wonder Records, led to a John Peel session, two years of charting in the British independent charts, and being signed to 4AD Records and, subsequently, Beggar’s Banquet.
This will be the first time that David has set foot in the studio since recording his ‘Blue Moods Turning Tail’ EP in 1984. This special show will feature music that was originally recorded there, as well as songs spanning his career.
As part of this rare event, Andrew Brooksbank, author of ‘Bauhaus – Beneath The Mask’, will also be conducting an interview with David, which will be followed by a Q&A with the audience. This historic concert is not to be missed and will be both recorded and filmed for later release. There is very limited availability, with tickets available for £50 ($65).
The day before that, on August 25, David J will perform in London at The Islington with special guests. Rewind 39 years to this month in 1979 – Bauhaus played their first show in London at The Music Machine, sharing the bill with The Teardrop Explodes, Patrick Fitzgerald band, and The Wall.
To further entrench this 40-year anniversary in the minds of their fans, Peter Murphy and David J will bring Bauhaus classics, as well as playing their debut album ‘In The Flat Field’ in its entirety, to fans across the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, with further dates to be announced. Later this year, a series of colored vinyl Bauhaus reissues will be released.
Although the band was short-lived, they managed to release four groundbreaking, impressive and wonderfully dark experimental albums, cementing their place and importance in music history. Considered one of the most influential bands since The Velvet Underground, Bauhaus spearheaded the post-punk alternative music scene of the early ‘80’s with a string of innovative albums and singles, and defining a style that is feasibly the pinnacle of the entire gothic scene.
David J’s latest (2017) release is ‘Vagabond Songs’, his ninth studio album, featuring a disarmingly charming and heartfelt collection of acoustic songs written on the road and inspired by people and places he encountered on the journeys. This double vinyl LP includes the hit single ‘The Day That David Bowie Died’, as well as a radical reworking of the Love and Rockets’ classic ‘The Dog End of a Day Gone By’.
Tickets for both of David J’s solo UK dates are available at www.davidjonline.com/tour.html. Tickets for Peter Murphy-David J tour dates can be ordered at www.petermurphy.info/dates.
Order David J ‘Vagabond Songs’ and his book ‘Who Killed Mr. Moonlight’ at www.davidjonline.com.
[table caption=”Tour Dates” width=”100%” colwidth=”65|100|130|200″ colalign=”left|left|left|left”]
Date,City,Country,Venue,Notes
Aug 15,Kluisbergen, Belgium,W Fest,
Aug 17,Taranto, Italy,Cinzella Festival,
Aug 23,Vilar de Mouros, Portugal,Vilar de Mouros Festival,
Aug 25,London, UK,The Islington, **David J solo show**
Aug 26,Wellingborough, UK,Beck Studios, **David J solo show**
Oct 18,Wellington, New Zealand,San Fran,
Oct 19,Christchurch, New Zealand,Foundry,
Oct 20,Auckland, New Zealand,Powerstation,
Oct 22,Adelaide, Australia,Governor Hindmarsh,
Oct 25,Brisbane, Australia,The Zoo,
Oct 26,Melbourne, Australia,Max Watts,
Oct 27,Sydney, Australia,The Factory,
Oct 28,Perth, Australia,The Capitol Theatre,
Nov 6,St. Petersburg, Russia,Aurora Hall,
Nov 7,Moscow, Russia,Glavclub,
Nov 9,Belgrade, Serbia,Dom Omladine Beograda,
Nov 10,Frankfurt, Germany,Das Bett,
Nov 12,Zurich, Switzerland,Mascotte,
Nov 14,Paris, France,Bataclan,
Nov 18,Madrid, Spain,La Riviera,
Nov 19,Barcelona, Spain,Razzmataz,
Nov 21,Rome, Italy,Orion Live Club,
Nov 22,Milan, Italy,Fabrique,
Nov 23,Munich, Germany,Ampere,
Nov 24,Bochum, Germany,Christuskirche,
Nov 26,Wroclaw, Poland,A2,
Nov 27,Berlin, Germany,Columbia Theater,
Nov 28,Hamburg, Germany,Knust,
Dec 4,Manchester, UK,O2 Ritz,
Dec 5,Glasgow, UK,SWG3,
Dec 6,Northampton, UK,Roadmender,
Dec 8,Leeds, UK,Leeds Beckett SU,
Dec 9,London, UK,O2 Forum Kentish Town,
Dec 11,Copenhagen, Denmark,Store Vega,
Dec 12,Stockholm, Sweden,Nalen,
Dec 14,Athens, Greece,Gazi Music Hall,
Dec 15,Thessaloniki, Greece,Principal Club Theater,
[/table]
LINKS:
http://www.davidjonline.com
https://www.facebook.com/mcnightshade
https://twitter.com/davidjhaskins
https://www.instagram.com/davidjhaskins
https://davidjofficial.bandcamp.com
https://www.youtube.com/user/aviddj1919/videos
https://www.patreon.com/davidj
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2EftfRcBC3whzGDBGOwIVG
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/david-j/3032724
