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Friday, September 7, 2018

A Flock of Seagulls to play Lost '80s Live in Vegas; new orchestral reunion album 'Ascension' out now

On Saturday, Sept. 8, Flock of Seagulls will appear at Lost '80s Live - 15th Anniversary in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Also appearing on the bill are a bunch of pop/rock/alternative acts that came to prominence during the Eighties:

Dramarama, The Motels, The Romantics, Berlin, Animotion, Wang Chung, Missing Persons, Naked Eyes, Book of Love, Boys Don't Cry, Nu Shooz, Trans X, Gene Loves Jezebel, Farrington & Mann of When in Rome UK, Christopher Anton of Information Society.

The event, held at the Downtown Event Center, is being hosted by Sirius XM/1st Wave and former KROQ FM/Los Angeles DJ Richard Blade. Tickets are $23-$41 and available here: www.ticketmaster.com, www.lost80slive.com.

A few months ago, Flock of Seagulls released Ascension, where all four original members reunited for the first time since 1984 to record many of their old hits and other favorites with the Prague Philharmonic.

The impressive results add a majestic sheen to such U.S. pop and dance club hits as "I Ran (So Far Away)," "Space Age Love Song," "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)," "Telecommunication," plus "The More You Live, The More You Love." I'd highly recommend it to longtime fans. The new movements and fanfares really add a fresh perspective. Rounding out the album are "Modern Love is Automatic," "Ascension," Nightmares," "DNA," Electrics," "Transfer Affection" and "Man Made."  

See an advertisement for the album - https://youtu.be/jIWHaxcL1xQ
The new video for “Space Age Love Song” - https://youtu.be/GNmppnfgBB0

More on the band:

A Flock of Seagulls never really broke up. Leader Mike Score carried on touring with session musicians and quietly, surely and steadily the folk lore surrounding the band began to grow. The references in culture from TV (Ross’ Haircut in Friends), Computer Games (I Ran was the standout track on Grand Theft Auto Radio), Film (The band and haircut are reference in Pulp Fiction, X-Men and The Wedding Singer) cemented the bands reputation and brought the band to a whole new legion of fans.

The group may well be known for their bizarrely teased haircuts as much as their hit single “I Ran,” but they were one of prime movers in the '80s New Wave era. Growing out of the synth-heavy and ruthlessly stylish new romantic movement, hairdresser Mike Score (lead vocals, keyboards) formed A Flock of Seagulls with his brother Ali (drums) and fellow hairdresser Frank Maudsley (bass) in 1980. They added innovative young guitarist Paul Reynolds several months later. The group released its debut EP on Bill Nelson of Be Bop Deluxe’s Cocteau Records early in 1981.

They signed a major-label contract with Jive by the end of the year, and their eponymous debut album appeared in the spring of 1982. “I Ran (So Far Away)” was released as the first single from the album, and MTV quickly picked up on its icily attractive video, which featured long shots of Mike Score and his distinctive, cascading hair. The single climbed into the American Top Ten, taking the album along with it. After two more full-lengths, Mike and Ali moved to the US shortly after basing themselves out of Pennsylvania. The band now as a trio released the album “Dream Come True” in 1986.

In 2003, the original line-up of Mike, Ali, Frank and Paul reunited for a one-off performance on the VH1 series Bands Reunited. In September 2004, they reformed again and did a brief tour in the United States.

From 2004 to 2017 Mike was as busy as ever touring the band around the world. In 2017 the band appeared on record together for the first time since 1984. The “Ascension” album was recorded in multiple studios around the world with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra providing backing.

www.aflockofseagulls.org
www.augustday.net

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