12 January 2015 - 0 Comments

When King Missile tour New Zealand for the first time ever this February, they'll be bringing with them a show jammed to the gunnels with entertainment. As if the headlining act itself isn't enough to provide an action-packed evening, the line-up includes 2 US supports plus a choice local act in each centre. 

The King Missile band includes the duo LoveyDove, expert performers in their own right. They'll take the stage to play their "deliciously chewy" soulful pop with a penetrating groove. Here's the story of LoveyDove in a nutshell - East Coast girl (Azalia Snail) meets West Coast guy (Dan West), and together they create a shimmering, alluring dose of melodic pop n’ roll. And as the perfect twist to this tale, Azalia and Dan were married in April last year.

“…boy-girl adventure team LoveyDove have created an unusually irresistible blend of artful expression, psychedelic atmospherics, deft craftsmanship and flat-out mushy romance… Theirs is a deliciously chewy sound, loaded with dynamics, color and articulate lyrics that are both acutely chosen and shrewdly applied…definitely not for dummies”. — By Jonny Whiteside

John Payne of LA Weekly/BlueFat.com says: "supremely melodic and wonderfully harmonized/high-grade modernist pop."

LoveyDove's West Coast boy Dan West is also a performer with an impressive pedigree, and he'll be showcasing his own perfectly-penned tunes during the tour. West made his name in a scene known as The Paisley Underground (best known for The Bangles; Mazzy Star also had ties to the genre, and Prince named his label Paisley Park Records after the movement). He has performed on stage and on record with artists ranging from Sky Saxon of The Seeds and Bryan MacLean of Love to jazz artists such as Rosemary Clooney, Maynard Fergusson and Paula Kelly.  He has fronted many of his own groups, including Aguafantastica (Smile Records, LA) and Sidewalk Society (Fruits De Mer Records, UK) and scored the music for the upcoming documentary Mr. Movie Posterabout the life of artist Paul Crifo.  http://www.mistermovieposter.com/about.html Dan's solo album Hot Corners was released last summer on Powertool Records, and his new album Does It Suit You has just been released here.

Each centre will also host a quality New Zealand act as part of the bill:

Simon McLaren's Psychic Maps will be making a rare Auckland appearance at the King's Arms on Thursday February 12.
Facebook event page / Tickets

Golden Curtain join the bill at the Cabana, Napier on February 15. Their album 'Dream City' was picked as one of the best of 2014 by US music blog Stereo Embers.
Facebook event page / Tickets

The full Vorn band will be in action at Bodega in Wellington on February 18. Expect songs from Vorn's critically acclaimed 2014 album 'More Songs About Girls and the Apocalypse', and other gems.
Facebook event page / Tickets

A J Sharma makes a rare live outing at Chick's in Dunedin on February 19.
Facebook event page / Tickets

And to finish the tour, huge King Missile fans the Dance Asthmatics play at Churchill's on February 20.
Facebook event page / Tickets 

Tour dates:

Thursday 12th February - Kings Arms, Auckland - with LoveyDove, Dan West and Psychic Maps
Sunday February 15 - The Cabana, Napier -  with LoveyDove, Dan West and Golden Curtain
Wednesday 18th February – Bodega, Wellington - with LoveyDove, Dan West and the Vorn band
Thursday 19th February - Chick's Hotel, Dunedin - with LoveyDove, Dan West and A.J. Sharma
Friday 20th February - Churchill's, Christchurch - with LoveyDove, Dan West and The Dance Asthmatics

From the band’s formation in 1986 and right throughout the 1990s, King Missile released a string of singles - and albums - that were resoundingly embraced by New Zealand’s student radio network: songs of note include ‘Take Stuff From Work, ‘Sensitive Artist’, ‘Jesus Was Way Cool’, ‘Gary and Melissa’, ‘Cheesecake Truck’, ‘Martin Scorsese’ and the hugely popular ‘Detachable Penis’ – just to name a few.  
Check out King Missile’s work on Allmusic.com

King Missile disbanded in 1994, and in 1996 Hall released a solo album, ‘The Body Has a Head’, and in 1998 formed King Missile III. Hall has also had two books published: 1997's Jesus Was Way Cool, a collection of 40 poems which became songs on King Missile/Hall albums; and 2007's Daily Negations, a dark-humoured satire of self-help books. Hall went on to study law, co-founding a small entertainment law firm, and later taking on a law-related job at a major law firm.

John S. Hall continues to perform on a regular basis - solo, as a poet and musician – and more recently with the newly-formed King Missile IV, comprising Snailand West.

Tickets are available from http://www.undertheradar.co.nz/

Auckland ticket link

Wellington ticket link.
Dunedin/Port Chalmers ticket link

Christchurch ticket link

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