New album and gig dates

The new Gene Loves Jezebel studio album is due for release on 1st December. Entitled ‘Love Death Sorrow’ the album features twelve newly recorded tracks.

Supporting the release, the band are also playing some UK dates. Confirmed so far are shows at Moles in Bath on 9th December, and at The Lexington in London on the 10th. There will be support at both shows from Dawn After Dark. See our Shows page to see links for tickets or follow the BandsInTown links.

The new album, ‘Love Death Sorrow’, was recorded back in March, in Wales, and like every other GLJ album, has its own individuality – although you will hear hints of The House Of Dolls and Heavenly Bodies lurking like shadows on its wall – with a warm and cohesive production by Peter Walsh.

The opener, ‘The Man That Time Forgot’ is classic ‘gothic horror’, but where Bela Lugosi may be dead, the vampire here is very much alive. ‘Breathe Easy’ has existed for at least 21 years, yet remained unrecorded by GLJ, and now finally gets its overdue release. Those familiar with the Ugly Buggs release of 2011 will recognise four songs. The new Jezebel versions maintain a similarity although the introspective and vulnerable ‘You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore’ is embellished with a more resolute ending flourish. The album features five cover versions – by The Cure, Magazine, The Only Ones, Edwyn Collins and Marianne Faithfull – fresh takes that do justice to the well known originals whilst bringing a new resonance. Jay is in fine voice throughout while Pete, James and Smiley bring their reliable dexterity as expected.

Tracklisting is:
1. The Man That Time Forgot
2. The Light Pours Out Of Me
3. Serpent Queen
4. Broken English
5. Breathe Easy
6. A Girl Like You
7. The Foolish Young
8. In Between Days
9. Young Girl
10. You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore
11. Lone Rider
12. Another Girl Another Planet

Cleopatra Records are releasing Love Death Sorrow on CD and vinyl and you can pre-order from their online shop. They are also making some past releases available, such as ‘Heavenly Bodies’ for the first time on vinyl.

New Gene Loves Jezebel album for 2023

The band are currently in a studio in the Welsh countryside to record a brand new album. As yet unnamed, it will comprise 12 tracks and, for the first time, will include some cover versions.

Producing the album for Cleopatra Records will be the stalwart producer of GLJ albums, Peter Walsh. Alongside, Jay, James and Pete will be drummer Smiley, who has appeared with the band on their recent 2022 UK tour.

We will have more details, release dates and track-listing, in due course.

One-off solo gig for Jay Aston

Jay will be performing at The Rec Rooms in Horsham, West Sussex on 15th September.

Support will come from The Absolute Loves, a band that features an early member of Gene Loves Jezebel, Stephen Marshall. Stephen played bass on the first album, Promise.

Incidentally, The Absolute Loves once featured GLJ fan Simon ‘Pooh’ Burgess on guitar, who sadly died in 2018.

Tickets are £10 (plus an additional ‘fee’ of £1.16). This event will be backed by a ‘National Lottery Revive Live Campaign’ and so by purchasing any full price ticket you will qualify for an additional ticket for free.

US Tour

Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel will be taking their 40th Anniversary Tour over to North America this month. After the two dates at Pasadena’s Cruel World Festival, the band will embark on a 31-date tour of the US, with a date in Canada at Toronto.

The dates and ticket links will be available through Bandsintown soon, but the shows will be as per the list sown below.

Brighton venue change

The Brighton date on the 40th Anniversary UK tour has unfortunately had to change. Instead of at Chalk, the show will now take place at the Prince Albert. All tickets are still valid.

The Mission tour rescheduled to 2023

The Mission have unfortunately had to once again postpone the dates for the European leg of their Deja Vu tour, which Gene Loves Jezebel were to support during the shows in Portugal and Spain. The dates have been rescheduled to April 2023 as follows:

Tuesday 25 – Wolf – BARCELONA, Spain
Wednesday 26 – Sala Mon – MADRID, Spain
Thursday 27 – Lisboa Ao Vivo – LISBON, Portugal
Friday 28 – Hard Club – PORTO, Portugal
Saturday 29 – Hard Club – PORTO, Portugal
Sunday 30 – Republic – VALENCIA, Spain

New interview with Jay Aston

Jay recounts a plethora of childhood influences, formative experiences and the history revolving around Gene Loves Jezebel in this enlightening new interview with Rob Lane at the ‘Straight To Video’ podcast (click for link). Also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify amongst other outlets.

Straight To Video produce several musical based interview podcasts per month. You may like to check out their episode with James Stevenson (Episode 91, dated 25 May 2021) and the bands recent drummer Smiley (Episode 109, dated 27 July 2021).

James Stevenson lines up December solo show

James, with his band The West London All Stars, has a one-off pre-Christmas show on Sunday 12 December. It will take place at Pizza Express Live, 99 High Holborn in London. The band features Gene Loves Jezebel’s Peter Bugg Rizzo and their recent stand-in drummer, Smiley, together with Terry Edwards, Patrick Ralla, Elizabeth Westwood and Jennie ‘Belle Star’ Matthias, with a special guest appearance by pianist Harriet Stubbs. Smiley will also be the opening act.

Tickets for the event are available from the Pizza Express Live website (here). Limited ‘VIP Soundcheck packages’ are also available, where guests can hear songs in soundcheck as well as ‘meet and greet’ with James and the band.

Further solo shows added for Jay Aston

Jay has four further solo appearances this month. He will be the opening act for Dead Men Walking on dates to celebrate the release, on Friday 5 November, of their new studio album, Freedom – It Ain’t On The Rise.

Dead Men Walking are made up of Kirk Brandon of Theatre of Hate/Spear of Destiny together with Segs Jennings and Dave Ruffy of The Ruts, and Jake Burns of Stiff Little Fingers. They perform versions of their own repertoire alongside classic covers and songs from their new album.

Tickets for the shows are available through the links on the Dead Men Walking website here.