Carlton Melton Announce UK Tour Dates
Just being a little safe here in that when Carlton Melton announced Turn to Earth, their new album, would be out Oct. 6, there were European and UK tour dates announced with that. Now, what I don’t know is whether this announcement is in addition to that, or instead of it, or what. Ultimately, it’s a big whatever. It’s not like I was gonna see Carlton Melton in friggin’ Belgium anyway, so whether those shows are happening is a little moot except in my generally wanting things to go well for good bands — shitty bands can fall off a cliff — but I’d imagine they are and this is just a press release centered on the UK because there are a bunch of shows there and it’s the UK.
But, more generally about Carlton Melton: They rule. Very much their own kind of weird. I know you don’t need me to tell you that, but it’s true just the same. I haven’t heard the new record yet, and I know the last one isn’t necessarily a tell because they’re unpredictable like that, but the last three records at least have been gems and I think these guys know a streak when they’re on it. If they cruise on momentum alone, it’ll at least be interesting. And the UK announcement? Maybe it was just the Brett Savage poster art was too good not to send out.
Either way, here’s that, along with dates and other whatnot from the PR wire:
CARLTON MELTON UK TOUR 2023
New album Turn To Earth out October via Agitated Records
Phil Becker (Terry Gross, Pins Of Light) contributed drums and percussion to a few tracks on Turn To Earth, recording the album at El Studio in San Francisco. With Becker at the helm, the synths have become more prominent (“Cosmicity,” “Roboflow,” “Migration”) and the tone heavier on the doom (“Cloudstorming,” “Unlock The Land,” title track): several moments could even serve as background music for epic dark fantasy films like Conan the Barbarian, Fire and Ice, or Heavy Metal.
As exquisite as Turn To Earth is, Melton are best appreciated as a live act: their recordings as well as their gigs are largely improvised – not so much composed as birthed. And yet their most recent tour ended abruptly and perilously. The group had to cancel its final three shows once members were admitted to Arnhem hospital in the Netherlands. Five years later, reinforcements have strengthened the band and restocked its arsenal of great tracks.
After the rockus interruptus of that 2018 tour and the tantric tease of the intervening Covid lockdown, Melton have some unfinished business. An October 2023 tour is poised to set the freshly minted quartet back onto the stages of Europe and within the cerebral folds of its fans.
Turn To Earth, sure … but keep your head in outer space.
CARLTON MELTON 2023 UK SHOWS
Oct 12 – LONDON – STRONGROOM BAR w/ Black Helium and Psychic Lemon
Oct 13 – GLASTONBURY – KING ARTHUR w/ Dead Otter and Thee Crow
Oct 14 – HEBDEN BRIDGE – THE TRADES CLUB w/ Dead Sea Apes, Dead Otter and Waka (DJ Set)
Oct 15 – GLASGOW – IVORY BLACKS w/ Nebula, The Cosmic Dead and Lucid Sins
Oct 17 – SALISBURY – THE WINCHESTER GATE
Oct 18 – BRISTOL – CROFTER RIGHTS w/ Sonic Jesus and Stereocilia
Oct 19 – MARGATE – BAR NOTHING
Poster credit: Brett Savage
Carlton Melton is: andy duvall – drums/gtr; clint golden – bass; rich millman – gtr/synth; and anthony taibi – synth/gtr.
https://www.facebook.com/Carlton-Melton-band-page-142609689122268/
https://meltoncarlton.bandcamp.com/
http://www.carltonmeltonmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AGITATEDRECORDS/
https://instagram.com/agitated_records
http://agitatedrecords.com/
