Additional performances are supplied by guest vocalists and musicians David McAlmont, Robert Wyatt, Corinne Drewery, Joel Purnell, Dennis Rollins and Clint Boon, even.

‘Satellite Sweetheart’, draws on Formula’s childhood in Whalley Range, Manchester. The striking childhood memory that inspired the collection is of Dave being taken to see Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who, after becoming the first man in space in 1961, made an appearance at the Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers in Brook’s Bar, in a show of proletarian solidarity.

“I got to shake his hand as he walked past”, says Dave.

The collaboration with Barry Adamson, ‘Bison Heard’, recalls Paul’s Record Shop, which sold calypso music, on Alexandra Road, Moss Side.

“It seemed like the coolest place on earth when I was being dragged up and down on a Saturday afternoon, doing the shopping with my folks”, says Dave.

Dave was introduced to Howard Devoto in Manchester during the 1977 white heat days of punk rock by legendary producer Martin Hannett. The two have worked together subsequently in Magazine and Luxuria, and together they have composed one of the album’s centre pieces in ‘Via Sacra’, which in turn lit the spark to the recent Magazine reformation.

“I persuaded Howard that it was time to be creative once more. A last chance to be venerable. An offer he couldn’t refuse”, says Dave.

Below, the video for ‘Via Sacra’, featuring Dave Formula (keyboards), Howard Devoto (Vocals), Barry Adamson (Upright Bass) and John Doyle (Drums).

Title : ‘Satellite Sweetheart’
Artist : Dave Formula
Format : CD + Download
Label : Wire-Sound
Cat # : WIRED 11
Release Date : 15.02.10.
Distribution : Cargo / 020 7731 5125

Also on the bill are a la mode Sarf London synth duo La Roux, salty bluesman Seasick Steve, the right rollicking hair monsters Wolfmother and sweet soul supremo Jimmy Ruffin, who had a worldwide hit in 1966 with ‘What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted’ … and who, incidentally, Dave Formula played with back in the day at the Twisted Wheel, Manchester. What goes around eh?

BBC Electric Proms presents a double-bill of Mancunian rock at The Roundhouse, London as Magazine perform on the same evening as Doves. Again, Howard Devoto, Barry Adamson, John Doyle and Dave Formula will be joined by Noko on guitar who stands in for the late John McGeoch.

This is a rare opportunity to see, hear and feel your favourite, enduringly credible, band, who continue to exert a profound creative influence on contemporary artists such as Radiohead, Maximo Park and indeed Doves.

The performance will be broadcast on the Marc Riley Show / BBC 6 Music and will be filmed for transmission on the BBC Red Button service.

A limited number of tickets (2 per person) will be available on a first come first served basis from 8am on Wednesday 16th September at http://www.roundhouse.org.uk/whats-on/series/bbc-electric-proms.

Also at http://www.seetickets.com and there’s a ticket hotline : 0844 482 8008 (9am-6pm weekdays, 9am-4pm weekends, £2.50 booking fee per ticket applies).

For more information go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/electricproms/

STOP.

The release and dispatch of pre-ordered copies of the ‘Real Life + Thereafter’ DVD is imminent.
Sorry for missing the original anticipated date on end of June. Howard wanted to make some changes to the sound mix which took longer than envisaged. These changes are now complete and the discs are now with the manufacturer in France, who in turn is celebrating their glorious revolution with ‘Bastille Day’. Depending how much vin rouge is drunk will impact on the final delivery date. We are looking to have copies on sale at the festival warm-up show in Sheffield on Wednesday 15th July. It’s that close.

Similarly, those of you wondering where your pre-ordered copies of ‘Satellite Sweetheart’ by Dave Formula are, will sleep a little easier knowing that the delay is down to Dave recording more and additional tracks to enhance the original selection.

These are finished, but, sadly, what with the upcoming Magazine activity, this means that the release will be delayed until after September. Sorry for the wait. Keep watching the skies, my friends. Keep watching the skies. The stork’s a-comin’.

STOP.

You may, or indeed, you may not know, that your favourites and mine, Magazine, come the end of August and creeping into September, will embark on a 3-city outing performing ‘The Soap Show : Episode 2009’ at prestigious concert hall venues.

This show will cull it’s content from the evergreen, and continually critically acclaimed, third album, ‘The Correct Use Of Soap’ … plus all your fireside favourites that you’ve come to know and grown to love.

This jaunt starts at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester on Saturday August 29, picks up a pace and onto The Picture House in Edinburgh on Sunday August 30 and stops rolling at The Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank come Tuesday September 1.

Tickets for the London show are already on sale.
Tickets for Manchester and Edinburgh are available on Wednesday June 10.

For further information regarding ticket sales contact the following :

Manchester - http://www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk or try the box office on 0161 907 9000 or try this - http://www.seetickets.com/see/event.asp?e|artist=MAGAZINE&n

Edinburgh - http://theedgefestival.com or try the box office on 0844 847 1740 or try this - http://www.mamagroup.co.uk/picturehouse/

London - http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/all-events/productions/magazine-46563 or try the box office on 0871 663 2500

“mmm… not bad, for New Wave.” - Bob Harris / The Old Grey Whistle Test / 1978

“Magazine!!!!” - Paul Morley / The Observer Music Monthly / 2008

“Smart” - Nigel Proktor / The Wire-Sound / 2009

OFFICIAL.

The highly anticipated Magazine DVD of the recent February reunion shows is now available for pre-order. This strictly limited edition 2 disc, region free, PAL format DVD set will be shipped in mid July.

The ‘Real Life + Thereafter’ DVD contains the entire concert filmed at Manchester Academy …

PLUS … Extra features include ‘Feed The Enemy’ filmed at the rehearsals, an alternate take of ‘A Song From Under The Floorboards’ and exclusive images from the period …

PLUS … On the second CD disc, you get an audio recording straight from the desk of 11 songs from the show at The Forum, London …

PLUS … In the package, you get a free tour T-Shirt in any size you like ranging from Super Small to Mighty XL and all stops in between.

Go to the ’shop’ to get busy. You know you want one.

OFFICIAL.

GO >

Magazine will play at The Plug in Sheffield on Wednesday July 15th, 2009. This is an intimate warm–up show prior to the festival appearances at Benicassim and Latitude. Tickets now on general sale from the usual suspects at a princely £23.00. Call either 0871 230 1101 or go to www.seetickets.com, search for ‘magazine’ and nab yourself some.

STOP.

Magazine will play The Soap Show : Episode 2009 at the Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank on Tuesday, the 1st of September 2009. General tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday, the 24th April, and will be available from box office and online - www.southbankcentre.co.uk - at a cost of £27.50 and £25.00.

You heard it here first. Go my friends. Go. Be correct.

OFFICIAL.

Magazine, your favourites, will perform at two festivals this coming July. The first will be the Benicassim Festival (Valencia) in sunny Spain on Friday 17th of July, where they will be kept company by Kings of Leon and Paul Weller. The second, and only UK, festival appearance will be at Latitude (Southwold) on the Suffolk coast on Sunday 19th of July, where we will be kept company by Nick Cave and his Bad Seeds and Ms. Grace Jones and her good hats. For more information on Benicassim, log on to http://fiberfib.com. For more information about Latitude, log on to http://www.latitudefestival.co.uk. Surf’s up, my friends. Go surf.

STOP.

I just had the best holiday you can get. How do I describe the places I’ve just been?

Train to that there London town. Bermondsey, London. Big dark room with no windows. Had to practice making some sounds. Couple of girls came along and made some sounds too. Train back home.

Thought I’d drive to the next room on the M40. Cowley, Oxford. Bigger dark room. No windows, flashing lights, lots of people. Made the sounds we’d been practising. Lots of happy people. Drove home.

Next day got train again to London. Met a bloke I used to work with. Had a chat. Kentish Town, London. Huge room with two floors and seats. No windows. Again still quite dark, until someone put lots of lights on. Four girls also came along. Two were those from Borough. They made their sounds, then we made ours. A good many more happy people.

Liked it so much, went back the next night. You know what… it was even better from where I sat the second time, and my kids decided to come too. They got a taxi home and the driver said he knew a lot of the sounds we made from a while back.

Went for a train ride to Manchester. All Saints, Manchester. These girls must have got the same holiday package I got!! Anyway, big oblong black room. There may have been some windows but they were covered. Many, many shiny-topped people. All of us made our sounds and there were lots of very, very, happy bouncy people.

Got on a big bus to go to Scotland. Stopped off at a 1970’s service station in Bolton. Everything seemed to cost £1.80. Got to Scotland. No proper football on the telly!! Excellent North Indian curry.

The Gorbals, Glasgow. Room similar to the one in Kentish Town. Different accents. Beginning to think these girls know a thing or two. They keep making these really good sounds before the blokes I’m with make ours and then at the end, two of the girls danced on top of two of the really, really happy people and they all make the most noise … EVER. Walked over a river. Went to a karaoke bar. Closed. Monday night I guess. Met some of those really, really happy people. Thought it might be good to go and see if some different people in Manchester might like to join us in the dark oblong room again.

Got the train instead of the big bus back to Manchester. One bloke traveling with us pointed out a couple of mills he’d worked in a while back. All Saints, Manchester. Same room but with lots of cameras pointed at us, and, another girl with some other blokes also there to make some really good sounds. So the first lot of girls (I bet they will be on telly soon) have a good time making sounds on the raised bit of the room at one end and one of them had a birthday cake. Then the other girl with her mates make different great sounds, and then me and the blokes I’m with have to stand there after making our sounds and everyone makes more noise at us than I thought it possible to make. I hope the cameras caught it all so I can put it in my holiday album.

Definitely the best holiday I’ve been on so far…