Public Image Ltd announce North American Tour- Fall 2012
Press Release:
July 31st 2012
PUBLIC IMAGE LTDANNOUNCE MUCH-ANTICIPATED FALL NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINING TOUR KICKING OFF OCTOBER 3
PUBLIC IMAGE LTD--described as “a musical force taking a jackhammer to pop music’s boundaries” (Phil Gallo, Billboard, 5/19/12)--have announced a much-anticipated North American headlining tour. It launches October 3 in Orlando and concludes November 3 with an appearance at the Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin (see full itinerary below). The tour is in support of THIS IS PiL, their acclaimed first album of new music in 20 years that was released this past May via their own PiL Official label, with distribution through Redeye in the U.S. and Cargo in the U.K. Tickets for the PiL shows will go on sale August 3 and 4: see www.pilofficial.com for links.
The potent and eclectic PiL line-up--JOHN LYDON (vocals), Lu Edmonds (guitar), SCOTT FIRTH (bass) and BRUCE SMITH (drums)—will make stops at such venues as New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom (October 13), Montreal’s Club Soda (October 16), San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom (October 25) and Los Angeles’ Club NOKIA (October 28), among others.
The tour marks PiL’s first return to North America since their 2010 trek which kicked off at Coachella and culminated in New York City at Music Hall of Williamsburg. In his live show review for the New York Times, Jon Pareles noted:
“Mr. Lydon sings the songs with all their taunts, injuries, fury and sarcasm in a voice that’s as cutting as ever. And this lineup of PiL--with two members who joined the band in 1986, the guitarist Lu Edmonds and the drummer Bruce Smith, along with Scott Firth on bass and keyboards--finds its own way to make the songs bristle and churn. The band didn’t copy old albums; it redrew songs within the original outlines. …Mr. Edmonds set the major chords chiming; the beat surged forward; and Mr. Lydon was a figure of irascible integrity. Rock’s antihero had become, against all expectations, a rock hero.” (5/20/2010)
This past April, PiL played two special shows at London’s Heaven on April 1 and 2 showcasing new tracks “Lollipop Opera,” “One Drop”, “Deeper Water,” and “Out of the Woods” (a song written about the Battle of Chancellorsville) among the group’s classics. In a live review, The Times (U.K.) noted: “This was an evening of uncompromising art music, worthy of the total concentration of the audience.” JOHN LYDON recalls this performance at Heaven this spring, an epic Coachella moment and returning to the U. S. for the fall North American headlining tour in this webisode: John Lydon Lollipop Blog- Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByzY7NnsoDM
Watch PiL perform the classic track “Religion” - and one of the standout tracks from ‘This Is PiL’ - “Deeper Water” both recorded at the electrifying April 2 Heaven show which is included in full as a bonus live DVD on the deluxe edition of THIS IS PIL. There is a PiL in Heaven. Online exclusive links below:
“Religion”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c0cjjrCvV8
“Deeper Water” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DRubK4TLxA
Since its May 29 release, THIS IS PiL has generated rave reviews including these below:
“…he [Lydon] rediscovers the creative, experimental zone of early PiL works ….fantastically diverse…”
-- Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY, (5/21/2012)
"...This Is PiL proves that the taunting weaponry of his voice is still a delight, as he drawls out syllables like an over-the-top TV villain...a few songs are crisply antagonistic, especially ‘One Drop’; amid a shuffling reggae backbeat, Lydon crows, "You cannot change us," once again finding inspiration in defiance."
--Rob Tannebaum, ROLLING STONE, June 18, 2012
"Representing the experimental instincts of Lydon the teenage Can fan, it sees him putting his ire to use over spectrally funky tracks warped and shaped by Lu Edmonds's byzantine guitars" (4 out of 5)
--Ian Harrison, Q Magazine, June, 2012
"This is a 63 minute chunk of music that wavers marvelously from the irresistible, the effortlessly accessible to the downright weird"
-- Mick Middles, THE QUIETUS, May 15, 2012
"The musical recipe cooked up by Lydon and bandmates is both familiar--driving beats, percolating beneath Lydon's searing yowl--and infectious."
--Marco della Cava, USA TODAY (6/6/2012)
“..this is a record with core strength, particularly through its middle stretch: the tidal ‘Deeper Water,’ the sharp ‘Terra-Gate,’ the anguished but hopeful ‘Human.’ There are spoken-word pieces (‘The Room I Am In’), manic pop songs (‘Lollipop Opera’), and even a sunny character study (‘Reggie Song,’ filled with Edenic imagery, backing vocals, and useful philosophy—‘No matter where you come from, you can still be a better person’). The album closes with ‘Out of the Woods,’ a hypnotic tale of war that seems, upon closer inspection, to be about Stonewall Jackson. Throughout, Lydon steers with a steady hand, wailing wisely, clearly happy to be back at the helm.”
--Ben Greenman, NEW YORKER (6/4/2012)
...."It comfortably manages to be what a comeback strives to be but seldom is; adventurous, celebratory and - above all - adding to an already admirable legacy"
(8 out of 10)
--Sean Thomas, Drowned In Sound, May 24th, 2012
“slivers of guitar and ornery kick drum lock jaws with a titular, megaphoned chorus..”
–David Bevan, SPIN.COM, April 20, 2012, Re “Lollipop Opera”
“…it’s simply a joy to hear Lydon’s in fine voice, getting stuck into thorny matters, with his own unique, raw nerve gusto, backed by a cookin’ band.” (4 out of 5)
--Andrew Perry, MOJO, June 2012
PUBLIC IMAGE LTD, Headlining U.S. Tour
Wed 10/3 Orlando, FL Firestone Live
Fri 10/5 Miami, FL Grand Central
Sat 10/6 Ybor City, FL Cuban Club
Mon 10/8 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
Tue 10/9 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
Thu 10/11 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
Fri 10/12 Clifton Park, NY Upstate Concert Hall
Sat 10/13 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom
Mon 10/15 Boston, MA Royale Boston
Tue 10/16 Montreal, QC Club Soda
Thu 10/18 Toronto, ON The Opera House
Fri 10/19 Detroit, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre
Sun 10/21 Chicago, IL House of Blues
Mon 10/22 Minneapolis, MN Mill City Nights
Thu 10/25 San Francisco, CA Regency Ballroom
Sun 10/28 Los Angeles, CA Club NOKIA
Thu 11/1 Dallas, TX Granada Theater
FUN FUN FUN FEST
Sat 11/3 Austin, TX Fun Fun Fun Fest
John Lydon: After fronting the Sex Pistols, John Lydon formed PUBLIC IMAGE LTD in 1978. Outside of PiL, John has released several solo records and collaborations. He also brings quality TV to the masses.
Lu Edmonds: Multi-instrumentalist and former guitarist in The Damned Lu joined PiL in 1986 recording and playing on the album Happy? and co-writing the album 9 adding yet another dimension to the PiL sound.
Bruce Smith: Former drummer in The Pop Group and The Slits became percussionist for PiL also in 1986 playing and recording on the albums Happy? and 9. Seen as a drumming virtuoso, Bruce Smith brought his unique style into the fold.
Scott Firth: A bass player/multi-instrumentalist that has collaborated and played with a variety of top musicians and bands including Steve Winwood, John Martyn, and Elvis Costello.
For more PiL information, see www.pilofficial.com