Richard wrote:
Happy New Year to each and every one of you from Vince and Andy (and from me)! I hope you've all had a good festive season and that your 2022 is off to a fine start despite everything that is going on around us.
The Erasure office is open once again and I'm here to start your Erasure year in slightly confusing style by sending the first newsletter of the year on a Thursday instead of a Friday (but really, who knows what day of the week it is at the moment anyway!) which allows me to remind you about tomorrow's deadline for those of you who still want to place click and collect orders for any of the forthcoming US dates on 'The Neon Tour' which - excitingly - kicks off in Miami in eight days time!
Here's to wonderful things for all of us this year, and here's everything I have for you today...
ERASURE: USA DATES ARE GOING AHEAD BUT TORONTO IS CANCELLED
I've had absolutely bundles of messages from people over the holidays to ask if the North American leg of Erasure's 'The Neon Tour' is still going ahead, and I am both relieved and delighted to confirm that all the scheduled dates in the USA are currently going ahead. However it is with a very heavy heart that I have to tell you that, due to the recently announced Covid restrictions in Ontario, Erasure's show in Toronto, which was scheduled for January 25th, has been cancelled. I'm so sorry, the cancellation was obviously beyond our control, but if you were planning to attend that show then tickets will be automatically refunded at point of purchase. Those of you who have ordered click and collect merchandise items for the Toronto show will be contacted by our merchandise company, Beyond Merchandise, shortly. Sorry everyone...
ERASURE: 'THE NEON TOUR' - DEADLINE FOR USA CLICK AND COLLECT MERCHANDISE ORDERS IS TOMORROW (BUT POSTAL ORDERS REMAIN AVAILABLE)
A final reminder that if you are planning to order merchandise items via our click and collect service to be collected at one of the upcoming US shows then the deadline to do that is midday (ET) tomorrow (Friday 7th December). The advantage of a click and collect order is that, in these exhausting times of supply chain challenges, we can be sure of having the item you want, in the size and colour you need, purchased, reserved, picked out and ready for you to collect on the night. Obviously we will do our very best to keep everything in stock in all colours and all sizes to be purchased on the night too, but for those of you who want to be absolutely sure of securing a particular item, this service is for you.
Changing deadlines mean that we had to cut-off orders of the pre-order only 'Clarke & Bell' t-shirts earlier this week if we were to be sure of getting them in time to add to click and collect orders, but as we know that might leave a few you of you without the opportunity to grab a 'Clarke & Bell' shirt in black, yellow or white with the date of your choice printed on the back we will be offering you the chance to order one of those for postal delivery only for a very limited time next week. If you would still like to order one of those shirts then they will be available for postal orders for just five days, from Monday to Friday, next week so do
keep an eye on the merchandise website for that opportunity!
ERASURE: 'THE NEON TOUR' USA - THE BIG QUESTIONS: WILL I NEED TO SHOW PROOF OF VACCINATION OR A NEGATIVE COVID TEST TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE US SHOWS? HOW CAN I MEET THE BAND? WILL I BE ABLE TO GET MY 'FROM MOSCOW TO MARS' PASSPORT STAMPED AT THE FORTHCOMING SHOWS? WHO IS THE SUPPORT ACT? WHAT TIME WILL ERASURE BE ONSTAGE?
Following on from the previous stories, I thought it might be worth answering some of the most frequently asked questions I'm receiving relating to the upcoming US dates. If you are attending any of those shows please read this section carefully. Here we go... 'Will I need to show proof of vaccination or a negative covid test to enter any of the forthcoming shows?' Yes you will, exact details vary slightly from venue to venue so do check the website for the venue you're going to for specific details. 'How can I meet the band?' I'm afraid that's not an option this time around. The covid precautions we have in place to keep the band and crew safe prevent us from offering meet and greet opportunities, there will be no guests backstage, and the band won't be able to stop to meet people and sign autographs on their way into and out of the venues and hotels etc, it's not the way we would like things to be but it's something we have to do in order to be able to keep the band and the crew safe, and to keep the tour on the road. 'Will I be able to get my 'From Moscow To Mars' Erasure passport stamped at the forthcoming shows?' A positive answer for a change... yes! Passport stamping can be requested at the collection point for click and collect orders at each venue. 'Who is the support act?' The Bag Raiders will be playing a special DJ set to open all the US dates. 'What time will Erasure be onstage?' The band will be onstage sometime between 8.30pm and 9pm so make sure you are in position by then because I promise that you won't want to miss a minute of the show...
ERASURE: 'THE NEON TOUR' LATIN AMERICA - ERASURE'S SHOW IN CHILE IS NOW SOLD OUT BUT TICKETS FOR CONCERTS IN MEXICO, COLOMBIA, ARGENTINA AND BRAZIL ARE AVAILABLE NOW
A huge thank you to everyone who has supported the forthcoming Latin American Tour with such passion and enthusiasm. I love announcing sold out shows so it's with great pleasure that I bring you the news that Erasure's show in Santiago, Chile, on July 21st is now sold out... I hope that you already have your tickets if you were hoping to see that concert. The tickets are now on sale for the rest of the Latin American leg of the tour and you can find all the links and all the tour details on
the Latin American Tour page on the Erasure website here.
ERASURE: THE PRE-SALE FOR ERASURE'S BRAND NEW LIVE ALBUM 'THE NEON LIVE' IS RUNNING NOW
Just a reminder, in case you need it, that Erasure will be releasing a live album, 'The Neon Live', later this year and although there will be standard retail editions available later, we have limited-edition deluxe 2-CD, 3-Vinyl and 4-CD formats available to pre-order now. More details about 'The Neon Live' - including tracklistings, limited edition quantities, artwork and release dates - are available from Lexer Music and Live Here Now who are the sole retailers of the deluxe versions of the album.
VINCE CLARKE: INTO 2022 WITH VINCE CLARKE AND REED HAYS' 'THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW'
I'm not sure this exact combination of locations has happened before, but last week's End of 2021 edition of Vince Clarke and Reed Hays' 'The Synthesizer Show' featured Vince live from the Maker Park Radio studios in Staten Island while Reed beamed in live from his home in Massachusetts, introducing a challenging time delay, but nothing that the dynamic duo haven't handled with similar aplomb previously. In addition to time delays you can expect a fine serving of fine electronic music from across the years interspersed with Vince and Reed's usual eccentric banter and in-jokes which include sterling attempts at pronouncing difficult names and at assigning the right dates to the right records; there is a swapping of Christmas stories (Vince had beef, Reed had ham, in case you were wondering); Vince's recommendation for the best dunking biscuit; crisps are consumed; Vince leaves his mic on despite Reed's best efforts; Reed shares a sandwich with his cat; Vince gets enthusiastic about the Roland Boutique TR-06; there are moments where there's no sound at all, and moments when everyone is talking at once; and Vince recalls manhandling Depeche Mode's early synth arsenal. Cunningly disguised at the December 29th edition of 'Brainwash with Dan Mackta'
you can find last week's show on Maker Park Radio's streaming pages here. The next edition of 'The Synthesizer Show' will take place at 2pm (NYC) next Thursday (January 13th) and will be available to video stream shortly afterwards as always.
SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND: A STRIPPED-BACK GUITAR COVER OF ERASURE'S 'STAR'
There's something very touching and melancholic about
this acoustic guitar version of Erasure's 'Star' by a chap called Johnny Welch, which made me think it was a good choice as the first 'Something For The Weekend' pick of 2022. I hope you like it too. Happy New Year!
Erasure. Always.
CHEERS!
Richard
Erasure Information Service
www.erasureinfo.com