Due to a logistical snag, Van Der Graaf Generator will limit the Italian dates of their upcoming tour to four (4 April in Rome, 7 in Milan, 8 in Vicenza and 9 in Cesena), cancelling the San Benedetto date on 5 April.
All information for ticket redemption at Piceno Eventi (www.picenoeventi.it - 073646496).
2006 was 'year zero' for Van Der Graaf Generator. In January, Hugh Banton, Guy Evans and Peter Hammill met for lunch in the shadow of the Royal Festival Hall, the site of their unforgettable reunion the previous year. At the time, the theatre was undergoing restoration and renovation. In the light of David Jackson's departure from the group, the three of them found themselves reflecting that the future - if there was to be a musical future for them together - awaited them impatiently.
They then quickly came to a conclusion: in order to remain true to the spirit of Van der Graaf and for their story to continue on to the next chapter, they had to move forward as a trio and at the same time create new approaches, styles and content. The group then went through a rehearsal period in which they explored new material and reworked their previous songs, until they returned to live stages in 2007. Catalysed by the strength of the audience response, they recorded the album 'Trisector' in the summer.
'Trisector', released in 2008, marked a change from the first reunion CD, 'Present'. Live performances with the new repertoire in Europe, Japan and North America followed in the following months. In late 2008 and early 2009, preparations for the new recordings began. The band put together various song fragments, exchanging ideas, theories and discussing which was the best way forward. In April 2010 the band met in Cornwall for an intense period of work in which they arranged the songs, rehearsed and recorded the album in just one week. Some of the tracks were already fully structured songs. Others were still more like sketches than finished works.
In the months that followed, a few overdubs were added to the tracks, editing and adaptation was done, all of which was done by the band in their own studios. A constant exchange of files via the Internet and CD-Rs kept the project coherent and aligned. By September, the project was ready to be mixed. Hugh Padgham agreed to take care of this part of the process, marking the first time that someone from outside the band was given this responsibility. After three weeks in Hugh's studio in London, which bears the same name as Peter Hammil's personal studio i.e. Sofasound, 'A Grounding in Numbers' was ready. With an extraordinary clarity and depth of sound and a wide variety of tracks, 'A Grounding...' sees VDGG pushing further through the 20th century than ever before. Of course they know they are a band with a certain history behind them, but just as naturally they manage to sound extremely modern.
The album is released on the Esoteric Recordings/Cherry Red label, distributed in Italy by Audioglobe and represented by the press office Il Popolo del Blues sas.
Officially released on 14 March 2011, 'A Grounding in Numbers' is the twelfth album in VDGG's career and the first since 2008. The album will be released both on CD and as a limited edition LP (2000 copies), and will be followed by a short tour in England and Europe.
These are the dates :
ITALY:
MONDAY 4 APRIL 2011 - ROME - AUDITORIUM, SALA SINOPOLI
TUESDAY 5 APRIL - SAN BENEDETTO DEL TRONTO (AP) - PALARIVIERA - CANCELLED
Prices: 20/25/35/40 Euro, pre-sales at www.bookingshow.com
THURSDAY 7 APRIL - MILAN - CONSERVATORY, VERDI ROOM
Armchair 46€, I Armchair 38€, II Armchair 34€, Sector D 28€, Sector E 25€ + prev.
pre-sales at www.ticketone.it and Barley Arts Promotion outlets
FRIDAY 8 APRIL - VICENZA - THEATRE COMUNALE
Numbered seats Sector I 48 Euro, Numbered seats Sector II: 40 Euro, pre-sales on www.tcvi.it
SATURDAY 9 APRIL - CESENA . CARISPORT
Numbered stalls and grandstands 40 €, unnumbered tiers 30 €, pre-sales on www.ticketone.it
—-
UK:
March 24: Leamington Spa Assembly
March 25: Glasgow ABC
March 26: Manchester Academy 3
March 27: London Barbican
March 28: Cambridge Junction
NETHERLANDS:
March 30: Utrecht Tivoli
GERMANY
March 31stBerlin-Columbia Club
April 1stHamburg-Fabrik
CZECH REPUBLIC:
April 2: Prague Akropolis
The Peter Hammill website: www.sofasound.com
The Van Der Graaf Generator website: www.vandergraafgenerator.co.uk
