New Model Army

at Lucerna Music Bar

May 8th, 2006

New Model Army are a legendary global underground cult band. Formed by JUSTIN SULLIVAN in Bradford in 1980, their beginnings were inspired by Punk Rock, Northern Soul and the incendiary atmosphere of the times. Since then, they have had a long, creative and eventful journey. They have never lost the ability to change, to thrill and to challenge and after twenty-five years, they remain totally focussed and central to the lives of fans spread across the world. 

After their UK Independent Chart topping album VENGEANCE in 1984, New Model Army signed controversially to EMI, with whom they enjoyed a fruitful seven year relationship. Without ever compromising their ideals, they made a series of landmark albums, working with world famous producers like Glyn Johns and Tom Dowd. With each recording, their music changed and developed, taking on soul and folk influences (partly paving the way for the wave of folk-rock bands of the early 1990s). The 1989 album THUNDER AND CONSOLATION, was a critical highpoint and went gold in Germany (sales in excess of 250,000). By 1992, they were on the move again, this time for a brief spell with Sony Records. The 1993 album THE LOVE OF HOPELESS CAUSES was produced by Niko Bolas and mixed by Bob Clearmountain and marked another change, this time into a more hard rock arena.

In the mid 1990s, after so many years of nearly non-stop touring, the band took a break for several months, while Sullivan became involved in different musical projects, including producing other artists. By 1997, secure in their fan-base and dismayed by the conservative direction of the major record companies, the band decided on the now common route of establishing their own label. The first release on Attack Attack Records was their seventh studio album, STRANGE BROTHERHOOD, in early 1998. The release coincided with the abrupt departure of drummer, ROBERT HEATON, due to ill health (Robb sadly died from pancreatic cancer in November 2004). His replacement was long-time associate, MICHAEL DEAN, and the band’s line-up of JUSTIN SULLIVAN (guitar/vocals), NELSON (bass), DAVE BLOMBERG (guitar), DEAN WHITE (keyboards) and MICHAEL DEAN (drums) was established to tour the album. By now NMA had such a wealth of material that, for the first two months of the tour, the band decided to play two sets each night, beginning slowly and building up the adrenalin over two and half hours. The spirit of this extravagant show was captured on the double live CD, NEW MODEL ARMY AND NOBODY ELSE released in 1999 and was quickly followed by a studio album, EIGHT, and yet more touring.

In 2002, Sullivan began concentrating on a more intimate show: Justin Sullivan & Friends was a stripped down three-piece semi-acoustic incarnation of New Model Army, featuring Dean White on keyboards and guitar and Michael Dean on percussion. The trio played more than 200 gigs in Europe and America and despite their original low-key intentions, the popularity of the show meant that they found themselves playing with the likes of Van Morrison and headlining Festivals in Europe. In early 2003, Sullivan released a debut solo album NAVIGATING BY THE STARS, featuring legendary bassist DANNY THOMPSON, to international critical acclaim, which included being picked as Album Of The Year by the American publication ‘The Big Takeover‘.

Throughout this period, the full New Model Army continued to perform across the world, with gigs as emotionally charged as ever. The band’s audience remains an astonishing cross section of people from all different walks of life, of all different ages and musical tastes, who have found an emotional and spiritual home in this music, while a travelling Following, renewed generation after generation, continues to follow them from concert to concert.

2005 saw them celebrate their 25th anniversary with the release of their highly-acclaimed ninth studio album, “CARNIVAL”. The Carnival Tour (with Dave Blomberg replaced by MARSHALL GILL on guitar), will continue into spring and summer of 2006, while ‘One Family - One Tribe; The Art & Artefacts Of New Model Army‘, an Arts Council international touring exhibition of artist and writer Joolz Denby’s artworks for NMA visits Germany.

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