Cult post-punks 1919 are back with Citizens of Nowhere: Their fourth studio album.
It’s fair to say the group are well-versed in overcoming tragedy. Having achieved indie success in the early ‘80s with singles such as “Cry Wolf”, their Machine LP, and two sessions with the late John Peel, they returned after a 30-year hiatus to release the critically-acclaimed Bloodline LP on Westworld Recordings. However, they would also lose their guitarist Mark Tighe to cancer shortly before the album’s release in 2017.
By this point, though, 1919 had cemented an international following through extensive European tours and festival appearances. Setting their sights on the US, the band, now with guitarist Sam Evans signed to iconic Los Angeles label Cleopatra Records to release their third album, Futurecide (2019). Set to embark on their first tour of the USA that summer, the band were unable to secure visas following recent Federal shutdown. However, they pressed ahead with packed dates in Mexico and Costa Rica before returning to Europe. The album featured Tighe’s final performance, alongside an appearance from Cry Wolf-era bass player Steve Madden, who tragically suffered the same fate as Tighe soon after.
In 2020, before the global health crisis put their tour plans to rest, 1919 said goodbye to another close friend, and long-time crew member for drummer Mick Reed, in former Leeds United mascot Kev Holroyd. Welcoming new bass player Ding Archer (PJ Harvey, The Pixies, The Fall) to the fold, and following vocalist Rio Goldhammer’s bid to become Mayor of West Yorkshire , the band’s new effort releases25th June on Manic Depression Records on multiple formats including “Brexit blue” vinyl. Their new single, “Singing to the Universe”, was released on 4th June in both English and French.
I’ll be featuring the album on Aural Delights on July 1st and the Overflow Show on July 4th.
Different Noises 