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NEWS: Bauhaus’ David J announces solo UK dates & world tour with Peter Murphy

Bauhaus live - Photo Credit: Judy Lyon
30 July 2018

Bauhaus live – Photo Credit: Judy Lyon

No stranger to post-punk, goth art-rock legends Bauhaus, we mark 40 years since the band’s formation by sharing some long-awaited news with you. Earlier, we reviewed Bauhaus live during one of their two reunions, and introduced you to Poptone , a live-only side project involving Bauhaus’ members Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskins.

Today, founding member David J 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 second solo album Crocodile Tears and The Velvet Cosh there 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 pounds.

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 were 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 ‘80s 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 here. Tickets for Peter Murphy-David J tour dates can be ordered here
Order David J Vagabond Songs and his book Who Killed Mr. Moonlight here and follow him on Spotify

TOUR DATES (all dates with Peter Murphy except Aug. 25-26)
Aug 15 – Kluisbergen, Belgium at W Fest
Aug 17 – Taranto, Italy at Cinzella Festival
Aug 23 – Vilar de Mouros, Portugal – Vilar de Mouros Festival
Aug 25 – London, UK at The Islington David J solo show
Aug 26 – Wellingborough, UK at Beck Studios David J solo show
Oct 18 – Wellington, New Zealand at San Fran
Oct 19 – Christchurch, New Zealand at Foundry
Oct 20 – Auckland, New Zealand at Powerstation
Oct 22 – Adelaide, Australia at Governor Hindmarsh
Oct 25 – Brisbane, Australia at The Zoo
Oct 26 – Melbourne, Australia at Max Watts
Oct 27 – Sydney, Australia at The Factory
Oct 28 – Perth, Australia at The Capitol Theatre
Nov 6 – St. Petersburg, Russia at Aurora Hall
Nov 7 – Moscow, Russia at Glavclub
Nov 9 – Belgrade, Serbia at Dom Omladine Beograda
Nov 10 – Frankfurt, Germany at Das Bett
Nov 12 – Zurich, Switzerland at Mascotte
Nov 14 – Paris, France at Bataclan
Nov 18 – Madrid, Spain at La Riviera
Nov 19 – Barcelona, Spain at Razzmataz
Nov 21 – Rome, Italy at Orion Live Club
Nov 22 – Milan, Italy at Fabrique
Nov 23 – Munich, Germany at Ampere
Nov 24 – Bochum, Germany at Christuskirche
Nov 26 – Wroclaw, Poland at A2
Nov 27 – Berlin, Germany at Columbia Theater
Nov 28 – Hamburg, Germany at Knust
Dec 4 – Manchester, UK at O2 Ritz
Dec 5 – Glasgow, UK at SWG3
Dec 6 – Northampton, UK at Roadmender
Dec 8 – Leeds, UK at Leeds Beckett SU
Dec 9 – London, UK at O2 Forum Kentish Town
Dec 11 – Copenhagen, Denmark at Store Vega
Dec 12 – Stockholm, Sweden at Nalen
Dec 14 – Athens, Greece at Gazi Music Hall
Dec 15 – Thessaloniki, Greece at Principal Club Theater

Catch a preview of the W-Fest:

Catch two wonderful tracks from David’s latest album, the latter captured live at KEXP:

DAVID J
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