Legendary British band Modern English are excited to announce that its performance of After the Snow from Indigo at the O2 will be made available on CD, CD/DVD and Digitally this August. Fans will be able to purchase and/or stream the band’s official live recording from the evening on Friday, August 27, just as they embark on their After the Snow U.S. fall leg of touring. Pre-order for the CD, CD/DVD and Digital is now available HERE and a vinyl version of the performance will be exclusively available on Record Store Day on Black Friday, Friday, November 26.
Additionally, Modern English are about to embark on their U.S. fall headline tour. A reschedule of 2020’s After the Snow tour in which the band was to perform its classic 1982 album in its entirety (along with classics from its extensive catalog), the upcoming run will begin on Tuesday, August 31 at Turf Club in St. Paul, MN and culminate in a three-night stand at The Big E in West Springfield, MA on Friday, September 17, Saturday, September 18 and Sunday, September 19. The tour, which will follow all COVID-19 restrictions and safety protocols, will visit additional markets such as Milwaukee, WI for Summerfest on September 3, New York, NY on September 8, Asbury Park, NJ on September 10, Pittsburgh, PA on September 14 and more. A full listing of dates can be found below, and more dates for spring and summer 2022 will be announced soon as well. Support on the fall run will be provided by Ganser and Bootblacks on select dates, and more information on tickets can be found on the band’s Facebook page HERE. Frontman Robbie Grey had the following to share about the upcoming run:
“We can’t wait to explode back on stage. It’s been a tough year for everyone and we want to bring some energy and excitement to everybody. We look forward to seeing you and all being together in the same room.“
Modern English is also offering a downloadable version of its popular “I Melt With You” (Lockdown Version) through its Bandcamp. Benefitting The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and its mission is to preserve and nurture the ecosystem of independent venues and promoters throughout the United States, the sale of the reimagined, 2o20 version of the band’s most popular song is now being made available to fans for the first time HERE.
Simply put, “I Melt With You” by Modern English is one of the most iconic songs of the New Wave era. It garnered heavy rotation on the then-thriving Modern Rock radio format, MTV and dance clubs across the globe, and was prominently featured in the classic 1983 film Valley Girl, starring a young Nicolas Cage.
On 1982’s After the Snow, the band’s sound evolved from the dark, moody and challenging post-punk found on its debut, Mesh & Lace, to a more commercial and radio friendly mix of synthesizers, guitars, catchy drumbeats and singer Robbie Grey’s unmistakable vocals. As the title suggests, the icy sound featured on Mesh & Lace melted away on After the Snow to reveal more concise and potent songs, highlighted by “I Melt With You” which brought the band up from the underground to the mainstream. It’s a song so popular that the band was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2020 BMI Awards for six million plays on radio. After the Snow was produced by the acclaimed Hugh Jones whose production credits include albums by Echo and the Bunnymen, Simple Minds, The Damned and many more, and the LP was released on the legendary 4AD Records in the UK and licensed to Sire Records in the U.S.
Formed in Colchester, England, the band self-released its first single on its own Limp Records label prior to signing to 4AD, home to such like-minded acts as Bauhaus, Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance. Laying the foundation for future musical movements such as goth and industrial, Modern English would gain the attention of renowned BBC DJ John Peel, who featured the band twice on his program.
Modern English would record various records over the years, and most recently, the band released its latest album, 2017’s Take Me To The Trees, an album that reconnected the band to their youth, in the fervent and fecund world of late 1970s/early 1980s post-punk Britain. Given Modern English’s roots were post-punk icons Wire and Joy Division – dark and austere while still melodic and passionate – Take Me To The Trees is a return to the sound and vision of their very early work that even James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem has described as “a sneaky secret that everyone writes off, because they just think it’s going to be a ‘I Melt With You’ but it sounds way scarier than any Joy Division record [Mesh & Lace].”
Modern English will be making the following U.S. appearances during August and September. Dates below with more performances for spring/summer 2022 to be announced soon.
AUGUST
31 – St. Paul, MN – Turf Club *
SEPTEMBER
01 – Chicago, IL – SPACE *
03 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest #
04 – Three Oaks, MI – The Acorn *
05 – Detroit, MI – Magic Bag *
08 – New York, NY – Sony Hall
10 – Asbury Park, NJ – Asbury Lanes ^
12 – Amityville, NY – The Warehouse ^
14 – Pittsburgh, PA – Crafthouse ^
15 – Philadelphia, PA – Ardmore Music Hall ^
17 – West Springfield, MA – The Big E
18 – West Springfield, MA – The Big E
19 – West Springfield, MA – The Big E
