Blancmange in Coventry on 6th Oct

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BLANCMANGE HIT THE ROAD FOR EXTENSIVE UK DATES THIS AUTUMN, TOURING UPCOMING ALBUM: ‘PRIVATE VIEW, OUT 30 SEPT, VIA LONDON RECORDS

LISTEN TO FEATURED TRACK: ‘TAKE ME'

BLANCMANGE are charting an extensive run of UK dates this Autumn.

Embarking on a run of 29 dates around the country, the tour will follow the release of their highly anticipated new album: ‘Private View' (out 30 September). Full details can be found below.

Marking a return to London Records, almost 40 years since the label released the band's debut; the release is preceded by the track ‘Take Me'.

STREAM ‘TAKE ME' ON ALL SERVICES HERE
 

Of ‘Take Me', Neil Arthur explains:

"As usual I'm playing with double meanings and domestic references. Can you take me, in terms of the unpredictable aspects of a personality, or can you literally take me to our favourite place by the sea? And also how much does someone have to "take" before a relationship breaks down? How many times can your partner be expected to accept repeated mistakes? Where is the tipping point?" 

Across the album, there's a deft marriage of futuristic electronic sounds, Arthur's unmistakable vocal hooks, and songs that veer from buoyant and joyful to dark and brooding. Benge returns as a key collaborator, and David Rhodes (Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Scott Walker) returns as the guitarist, having previously performed with the band on 1982's debut Happy Families (as well as several other Blancmange albums.)

In their post-punk early days, Blancmange made tape loops and experimental sounds with kitchen utensils, before developing into one of the definitive chart-topping British electronic pop acts. Since reforming in 2011 (Luscombe had to leave shortly after for health reasons) Arthur has harnessed a duality of experimentation and seamless pop melody to release a staggering 10 albums in the last decade. "I don't know whether I'm on a roll but I feel something in me has been released," he says. "I used to hold back and I didn't trust myself. While I'm still full of self-doubt I'm now quite comfortable with it. This is it. We've only got one time around the block, so make the most of it."

The past is used as a trigger to create new ideas and build fresh momentum, not as somewhere to linger. "A lot of people are frightened of the future and are quite happy to have a repeat of something that was done before," he says. "But it's just not for me. Looking forward you've got a hell of a world to try and navigate through at the moment. We're all moving forward - so we've got to try and find some answers." 

Private View is a record that manages to capture an artist who is potently in the moment when it comes to creating new work, while also being able to draw on 40 years' worth of knowledge, experience and built-in intuition. "I'm really lucky to be able to make the music completely on my own terms," Arthur says. "Within myself there are no limits, there's a massive palette inside and I will try anything."  

Private View tracklisting

1. What's Your Name
2. Some Times These
3. Reduced Voltage
4. Here We Go Go
5. Chairs
6. Who Am I
7. Everything Is Connected
8. I Tried To Be You
9. Private View
10. Take Me

An extensive UK tour throughout October, November and December follows a recent performance for Grace Jones' Meltdown.

Across the tour, Blancmange will be joined by a number of stellar support acts including Rodney Cromwell, Bernholz, Oblong, Alice Hubble and Stephen Mallinder (Cabaret Voltaire / Wrangler). 
 

Full details below.
 

PRIVATE VIEW TOUR

• 1 Oct – Rough Trade East, London
• 6 Oct – The HMV Empire, Coventry – w/ Bernholz
• 7 Oct – The Junction, Cambridge – w/ Oblong
• 8 Oct – Subscription Rooms, Stroud – w/ Oblong
• 13 Oct – Arts Centre, Colchester – w/ Oblong
• 14 Oct – University Y Plas, Cardiff – w/ Oblong
• 15 Oct – Cheese and Grain, Frome – w/ Oblong
• 20 Oct – Sub 89, Reading – w/ Oblong
• 21 Oct – The Level, Nottingham – w/ Oblong
• 22 Oct – Glassbox Theatre, Gillingham – w/ Oblong
• 27 Oct – The Fleece, Bristol – w/ Alice Hubble
• 28 Oct – The Boilerroom, Guildford – w/ Alice Hubble
• 29 Oct – Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne – w/ Alice Hubble
• 4 Nov – Exeter Theatre, Exeter w/ Rodney Cromwell
• 5 Nov – The Brook, Southampton w/ Rodney Cromwell
• 10 Nov – The Mill, Birmingham – w/ Alice Hubble
• 11 Nov – Kanteena, Lancaster – w/ Alice Hubble
• 12 Nov – The Forum Theatre, Barrow-in-Furness – w/ Alice Hubble
• 17 Nov – Corn Hall, Diss w/ Rodney Cromwell
• 18 Nov – Gorilla, Manchester – w/ Stephen Mallinder
• 19 Nov – Hangar 34, Liverpool – w/ Stephen Mallinder
• 24 Nov – The Wardrobe, Leeds – w/ Stephen Mallinder
• 25 Nov – The Leadmill, Sheffield – w/ Stephen Mallinder
• 26 Nov – The Riverside, Newcastle – w/ Stephen Mallinder
• 1 Dec – The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen – w/ Stephen Mallinder
• 2 Dec – The Liquid Room, Edinburgh – w/ Stephen Mallinder
• 3 Dec – Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow – w/ Stephen Mallinder
• 9 Dec – Concorde 2, Brighton – w/ Stephen Mallinder
• 10 Dec – Islington Assembly Hall, London – w/ Stephen Mallinder
  
  

BLANCMANGE - WILL RELEASE NEW ALBUM: ‘PRIVATE VIEW' ON VINYL, CD AND DIGITALLY - ON 30 SEPTEMBER, VIA LONDON RECORDS:
PRE-SAVE HERE: blancmange.lnk.to/PrivateView
 

FOR MORE INFORMATION
instagram.com/blancmange_music
twitter.com/_blancmange_
facebook.com/BlancmangeMusic
www.blancmange.co.uk
 
www.londonrecordings.co.uk