emf – devizine.com

Think early nineties dance-indie crossover and the Madchester circuit might understandably spring to mind. Yet Pop Will Eat Itself were Brunmies, The Shamen were Scots, but EMF and Jesus Jones were West Country, from Cinderford and Bradford-on-Avon respectively….

International, and bright, but perhaps not quite so young, Wiltshire’s own Jesus Jones announced a first ever co-headline tour with EMF this autumn with Echobelly in support; who said they were rivals?!

Right Here, Right Now two of the 90’s most enduring alternative-rock acts are delighted to confirm they will be going toe-to-toe on what’s shaping up to be an Unbelievable run of shows together.

Taking over big rooms in Manchester, Bristol, plus a major date at London’s O2 Kentish Town Forum this October, the co-headliners will be sharing a bill for the first time ever. A tour that promises Great Things, EMF and Jesus Jones will also be joined by very Special Guests: Echobelly for the Manchester and London legs of the tour. The full list of dates are below.

Expressing their excitement for the Autumn tour, James and Ian of EMF state:

“We are so happy to finally be announcing these very special shows with our long term friends Jesus Jones, it’s been very hard keeping this news a secret! From EMF at these shows you can expect all the old hits with an added couple of bangers from our new album ’The Beauty and the Chaos’”.

Echoing their sentiments in a year where Jesus Jones celebrate their 35th Anniversary, frontman Mike Edwards adds:

“People always assume EMF and us were great rivals – nothing could be further from the truth, we’ve been best friends for more than thirty years! Then, the same people always assume we must have been on the same bill, loads of times. Incredibly, it has NEVER happened before, until now. These shows are going to be fantastic – and having Echobelly on the bill too – it’s a brilliant line-up.”

Sporting over 20x Top 40 hits between them, Jesus Jones, EMF, and Echobelly dominated the charts during a vintage era for indie and alternative-dance music.

Forged in the cross-over crucible of the bubbling Acid House and Indie-Rock scenes of the time, Jesus Jones were formed in Wiltshire in 1988. Landing a Top 40 smash with their acclaimed debut album ‘Liquidizer’ (1989), the quintet would go on to find huge success in the early 1990s with major hits including “Real Real Real”, “Right Here, Right Now”, “International Bright Young Thing”, “The Devil You Know” and many more across the decade. Releasing their most recent studio album ‘Passages’ in 2018, the band are celebrating their 35th Anniversary this year with a world-wide tour, with shows across the US, Canada, Australia and these momentous UK co-headline shows this year.

Across the border in Gloucestershire, the stars were also aligning for fellow scenesters EMF. Founded in late 1989 the dance-rock quintet would quickly rise to fame with the release of their platinum certified debut album, ‘Schubert Dip’ just two years later. Shifting over a million copies sold and charting at #3 in the UK (and #12 in the US), it featured the infectious debut single “Unbelievable” a track that conquered the charts on both sides of the Atlantic and remains their calling card to this day. From there, the hit singles kept coming throughout the decade, with their next 7 singles all besieging the Top 40 including “I Believe,” “Children”, “Lies”, “Perfect Day”, “It’s You” and more. Releasing a further 3x Top 40 albums, the band would take an extended hiatus following the release of ‘Cha Cha Cha’ in 1995. Reuniting for special live shows and festivals since then, EMF returned with their acclaimed new album ‘Go Go Sapiens’ in 2022. Continuing their hot-streak of recent years, the band have just released a brand new album, ’The Beauty And The Chaos’. The first single from the album, “Hello People” featured a guest appearance by Stephen Fry and gleaned rave reviews. A second single, “Reach For The Lasers” will be released on 8th March 2024.

Fast forward to 2024 and the catalogues of EMF and Jesus Jones remain as vital as ever. Pooling their creative forces and impressive collection of hits for a series of major shows together in 2024, tickets for the EMF + JESUS JONES tour – will go on sale this Friday, 1st March @ 10AM.

2024 TOUR DATES

Academy Events presents…

25/10/2024 – Manchester O2 Ritz*

Academy Events presents…

26/10/2024 – London O2 Kentish Town Forum*

Pink Dot & Gigantic presents…

27/10/2024 – Bristol Marble Factory

* w/ Echobelly

*****

TICKETS

Tickets go on sale this Friday @ 10AM here:

O2 Ritz: https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/event/3E00603800AC2001