Historically minded, A/V-inclined UK group Public Service Broadcasting have announced a new album, The Last Flight, which will be out October 4 via via SO Recordings. All their albums have a concept and this one is about iconic aviator Amelia Earhart, exploring her life as well as her doomed but valiant 1937 attempt at circumnavigating the globe by plane. Says bandleader J. Willgoose Esq:
I wanted to do a woman-focused story, because most of the archive we have access to is overwhelmingly male. I was initially drawn in by Earhart’s final fight, rather than the successes that she had, but the more I read the more I became fascinated by her. Her bravery and her aeronautical achievements were extraordinary, but her philosophy and the dignity that she had… she was an outstanding person.
The final flight is the spine of the journey: the story jumps off at different points, and examines different facets of her personality, her relationship with her husband, her attitude to flying, her attitude to existing. She gave herself, I think, less than a 50% chance of survival when she flew the Atlantic alone. To put yourself, willingly, in those situations… I think it says something about that drive at the heart of humanity.
However The Last Flight isn’t doom-laden or covered in grief. There’s adventure, freedom, the joy of being alive. The reason why she wanted to fly was to find the beauty in living – ‘to know the reason why I’m alive, and to feel that every minute.’ The flight did fail, but she was right. Of all the people we’ve written about, I have the deepest respect and admiration for her.”
The first single from the album is “Electra,” which was the model of the plane she flew on that last flight. “The song is about Amelia Earhart’s plane, the marvellously named Electra,” says J Willgoose Esq. “To match the name, the vibrancy and the excitement of the aircraft, the track is full of pulsing electronics and interlocking, percussive melody lines, plus pace.” You can watch the video below.
Public Service Broadcasting will be on tour in the UK this fall, and all dates are listed below.
The Last Flight:
I Was Always Dreaming
Towards The Dawn
The Fun Of It (ft. Andreya Casablanca)
The South Atlantic (ft. This Is The Kit)
Electra
Arabian Flight
Monsoons
A Different Kind Of Love (ft. EERA)
Howland
Fri 4 Oct – UK, Leeds, Crash – daytime – Store – signing only
Fri 4 Oct – UK, Manchester, Piccadilly – evening – Outstore at Night & Day
Sat 5 Oct – UK, Liverpool, Jacaranda – evening – Outstore at The Baltic
Sun 6 Oct – UK, Southampton, Vinilo – evening – Outstore at The Brook
Mon 7 Oct – UK, Bristol, Rough Trade – evening – Outstore at Strange Brew
Tue 8 Oct – UK, Kingston, Banquet – evening – Outstore at Pryzm
Wed 16 Oct – UK, Glasgow, Barrowland
Thu 17 Oct – UK, Aberdeen, Music Hall Aberdeen
Fri 18 Oct – UK, Manchester, Albert Hall (SOLD OUT)
Sat 19 Oct – UK, Leeds, O2 Academy Leeds
Mon 21 Oct – UK, Gateshead, The Glasshouse International Centre for Music
Tue 22 Oct – UK, Nottingham, Rock City
Thu 24 Oct – UK, Coventry, Warwick Arts Centre
Fri 25 Oct – UK, Cambridge, Corn Exchange
Sat 26 Oct – UK, Bristol, Bristol Beacon (SOLD OUT)
Mon 28 Oct – UK, Cardiff, Cardiff University, Great Hall
Tue 29 Oct – UK, London, Roundhouse (SOLD OUT)
Wed 30 Oct – UK, Brighton, Brighton Dome
Thu 31 Oct – UK, Aylesbury, Friars Aylesbury at The Waterside Theatre
Sat 2 Nov – Ireland, Dublin, 3Olympia Theatre
Sun 3 Nov – UK, Belfast, The Telegraph Building
Mon 4 Nov – Ireland, Cork, Cyprus Avenue
Sun 10 Nov – Netherlands, Amsterdam, Melkweg (Oude Zaal)
Mon 11 Nov – Belgium, Brussels, Ancienne Belgique Club (SOLD OUT)
Tue 12 Nov – Germany, Cologne, Club Volta
Wed 13 Nov – Netherlands, Groningen, Vera
Thu 14 Nov – Germany, Hamburg, Knust
Sat 16 Nov – Norway, Oslo, Blå
Sun 17 Nov – Sweden, Stockholm, Kägelbanan
Mon 18 Nov – Denmark, Copenhagen, Vega
Tue 19 Nov – Germany, Berlin, Columbia Theatre
Wed 20 Nov – Germany, Munich, Ampere
Thu 21 Nov – Switzerland, Zurich, Mascotte
Sat 23 Nov – Italy, Milan, Arci Bellezza
Mon 25 Nov – Spain, Barcelona, La Nau
Tue 26 Nov – Spain, Madrid, Sala Copérnico
Wed 27 Nov – Spain, San Sebastian, Dabadaba Club
Fri 29 Nov – France, Paris, Petit Bain