New wave icons Howard Jones and Midge Ure come to F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on July 9
From a press release:
New wave icon and synth pioneer Howard Jones is hard at work on a new studio album; “Dialogue” is set for release this summer, the third record in a trilogy of electronic releases, with multimedia project “Engage” coming out in 2015 and studio album “Transform” out in 2019.
In support of the upcoming album, he will hit the road this June for a headlining tour with his full band/electronic setup, including a stop at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, July 9.
Along with Jones, the four-piece band is Robin Boult (guitar), Nick Beggs (bass/chapman stick), Robbie Bronnimann (keyboards/electronic wizardry), and Dan Burton (keyboards/drum pads). The Dialogue Tour features two special guests – alternative music legend Midge Ure and groundbreaking electronica duo All Hail the Silence.
“I am beyond excited to be touring the US this summer with my great friends Midge Ure and All Hail the Silence. As we take safe steps to put the pandemic behind us, the tour will be a celebration of being together, enjoying the power of live music again. Expect plenty of hit songs as well as cuts from my new album, ‘Dialogue,'” Jones commented.
“What a joy to be touring North America with my friend Howard Jones again. With the emphasis on technology, quality, and performance I am looking forward to dusting off the synthesizers, cranking up the guitar, and playing with the brilliant musicians who will be sharing the stage with me,” Ure added.
“We first collaborated live together back in 1989 on Howard’s Cross the Line Tour, which holds nothing but great memories for me, so I am hoping to not only rekindle those but add new ones to the memory bank.”
Doors at the Kirby Center (71 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre) open at 6:30 p.m., and the music starts at 8 p.m.
Tickets, which are $41.50, $49.50, and $54.50, plus applicable fees, go on sale this Friday, Feb. 25 at 10 a.m. and will be available at the F.M. Kirby Center box office, online at kirbycenter.org and ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 570-826-1100. A Kirby Member pre-sale begins Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 10 a.m.
Electronic music trailblazer Howard Jones has been a constant presence on the international touring scene for the past three decades, playing live in a number of different configurations, including intimate solo shows and dates with his full high-tech band setup. His most recent album, “Transform,” was released in 2019 to critical acclaim and features several collaborations with electronica luminary BT, half of All Hail the Silence. Of the album, Paste avowed, “‘Transform’ is remarkably consistent to Jones’ lush brand of synthpop … a balance of what is familiar and what is innovative, new magic from old spells,” while Pop Matters declared the album to contain “dazzling synth sounds, catchy melodies, and introspective and life-affirming lyrics – but with a contemporary feel.”
The 66-year-old first burst upon the contemporary music scene in 1983 with his very English songwriting and pioneering synthesizers. His first two albums, “Human’s Lib” and “Dream into Action,” were worldwide hits. “Human’s Lib” reached No. 1 in 1984 in the United Kingdom and featured the hits “New Song” and “What Is Love?” In 1985, he released the follow-up, “Dream into Action,” which quickly became a Top 10 platinum album in the United States and featured the smashes “Things Can Only Get Better,” “Life in One Day,” “No One Is to Blame,” and “Like to Get to Know You Well.”
Jones has sold over eight million albums worldwide and continues to make new music and tour the world. He recently performed on NBC’s top-rated morning and nighttime shows, respectively, “Today” and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” His ubiquitous hits can be heard in such high-profile television series and films such as “Stranger Things,” “Breaking Bad,” “Watchmen,” “The Carrie Diaries,” “Superstore,” and “Bumblebee.”
Midge Ure has an impressive catalog fronting the groundbreaking electrorock band Ultravox as well as being a member of such notable bands as Visage and Thin Lizzy. He helped form Band Aid, where he produced and co-wrote the smash charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas,” still one of the biggest singles in U.K. music history. He was also one of the principal creators of Live Aid and Live 8, along with Bob Geldof.
Ure has spent most of his career touring the globe playing solo and with Ultravox, who reformed in 2009. He served the notable role of MD for the Princes Trust at the Royal Albert Hall with a cast of the usual suspects, including Queen, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins and Mark King. He has received Ivor Novello, Grammy, and BASCAP awards, along with a flotilla of gold and platinum records. He is now working on three albums, including a follow-up to 2014’s “Fragile,” a Part 2 to 2017’s “Orchestrated,” and a totally instrumental album.
Together as All Hail the Silence, Grammy-nominated composer BT and triple-platinum British singer/songwriter Christian Burns breath life back into the sound of 1983. Awash in soaring vintage electronics, massive pop hooks, and glittering analog warmth, this seasoned, timeless synth-outfit blurs stylistic and musical boundaries like their heroes Depeche Mode, Yaz, Human League, and New Order did in the ’80s.
Electronic music pioneer, software designer, and Web 3 thought leader BT is frequently described in terms such as “all that electronic music can be: expansive, beautiful, enveloping and, oh yes, human” (Billboard magazine) and provides the intricate, meticulously crafted analog synthwave symphonies. Burns, one of the most in-demand voices in dance music, offers his seasoned vocals that are reminiscent of The Killers and Blue Nile in the same breath. Burns’s last solo album went to No. 1 on iTunes in the U.S., and he has had global hits with Tiësto and Armin Van Buuren. He is also a member of the beloved multi-platinum band BBMAK.
With as much of a hat tip to the past as the future, All Hail the Silence delivers triumphant, unapologetic, next-generation electronic music that captures the essence and angst of ’80s teenagers coming of age.
