Montreal stalwarts The Dears are returning to the UK this September for a long-awaited run of live dates.
Marking a triumphant return for the band, The Dears are guaranteed to deliver a cathartic set packed with classics alongside material from their latest release âLovers Rockâ, performed live for UK audiences for the first time.
Natalia Yanchak says:
âAfter all this time, the re-re-scheduling of tour dates and the re-re-re-anticipation of playing shows â itâs a little hard to believe these shows are finally going to happen.â
After releasing âLovers Rockâ over two years ago, repeated lockdowns and cancellations of live touring meant the band had been unable to play the record live until this Spring.
Natalia adds:
âWe originally released âLovers Rockâ in 2020. It was an album we were, and are still, very proud of. So it was hard to put out a record and then not play a single one of those songs live. We did a streaming show, but itâs just not the same as being in the same sweaty club, all together.â
The record saw Murray Lightburn (vocals, guitar, âotherâ) and Natalia Yanchak (vocals, piano) joined by longtime drummer Jeff âLoochâ Luciani as well as Steve Raegele(guitar) and RĂ©mi-Jean LeBlanc (bass), and also featured a string section, a cameo from fellow Montrealer Sam Roberts and saxophone from both Alex Francoeur and the E Street Bandâs Jake Clemons.
Just by being at it for so long, The Dears were able to work faster and more efficiently than most ensembles â which is especially important when you have two kids and when the business is less remunerative than ever. âThe Dears arenât fucking around,â says Lightburn. âWe donât have time to waste. Weâve got a job to do. And weâre going to do it. 20 years ago, I knew I had a sound in my head, but I didnât know how to get that down. Now I know how to get that sound.âÂ
âThe question weâre asking in the music is, âhow do we navigate so much bullshit in this world?ââ, he adds. âWeâre still playing this dumb rock music. But thereâs always gonna be a little twist of the knife, cutting into something deep to make you feel like youâre alive. To say, âI know what youâre going through. And Iâm hearing you, and Iâm with you.â Thatâs what the music is supposed to do.â
Now finally able to bring âLovers Rockâ to UK audiences, full dates and details are below.Â
THE DEARS UK TOUR 2022
SEPTEMBER
30 – Cambridge @ Portland Arms
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OCTOBER
01 – Liverpool @ Zanzibar
02 – Glasgow @ Hug & Pint
04 – Manchester @ Deaf Institute
05 – London @ The Garage