British new wave/post-punk band Modern English have dropped their new single “Not My Leader“.
The track features on their long-awaited new album ‘1 2 3 4‘, due to be released on February 23. Produced by Mario J. McNulty (David Bowie, Lou Reed, Nine Inch Nails), mixed by Cenzo Townsend and mastered at Abbey Road, 1 2 3 4 retains the intrinsic spirit of its early post-punk days, and is also a sterling sonic example of what Modern English have always done best. Pre-order it here.
Founding members Robbie Grey (vocals/guitar) and Mick Conroy (bass) started coming up with the music for 1 2 3 4 during the spring 2020 COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, swapping ideas back and forth remotely. Conroy set up a temporary home studio in Suffolk, England, with gear arranged in a tiny kitchen area (“Once I’d set up, that meant you couldn’t open the fridge door,” he says) and found himself inspired by the first Siouxsie and the Banshees album and the David Bowie records featuring Mick Ronson.
After having amassed a batch of fresh songs, restrictions loosened enough so Modern English could gather together and go over this new music.
Today the band offers “Not My Leader,” a scathing observation on politics in both the U.S. and the UK and how they aren’t dissimilar.
“I remember first coming to America in the early-’80s,” frontman Robbie Grey recalls. “We had Margaret Thatcher and you had Ronald Reagan. And then fast forward to today to Donald Trump and all the politicians and corporate organizations that have followed — along with their corruption and greed. It’s the same thing 40 years later, really. It’s the same old shit that makes the ordinary person feel sick. ‘Not My Leader’ is a song against those people.”
Take a listen below.
Modern English Upcoming Tour Dates
MARCH
09 — Mexico City, MX — Foro Puebla *
12 — Tucson, AZ — Rialto Theatre *
13 — Los Angeles, CA — Teragram Ballroom *
APRIL
11 — Dortmund, DE — Musiktheater Piano *
12 — Frankfurt, DE — Batschkapp *
13 — Berlin, DE — Huxleys *
14 — Hamburg, DE — Knust *
22 — Copenhagen, DK — Little Vega #
24 — Oberhausen, DE — Kulttemple #
25 — Hague, NL — Paard #
26 — Amsterdam, NL — Paradiso #
27 — London UK — Dingwalls #
MAY
02 — Paris, FR — Le Petit Bain #
JUNE
28 — Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl ^
29 — Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theatre ^
30 — Oakland, CA – Fox Theatre ^
JULY
03 — Phoenix, AZ — Arizona Financial Theatre ^
06 — Englewood, CO — Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre ^
09 — Irving, TX — Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory ^
10 — Houston, TX — 713 Music Hall ^
13 — Raleigh, NC — Red Hat Amphitheatre ^
16 — Bridgeport, CT — Hartford Healthcare Amphitheatre ^
17 — Boston, MA — MGM Music Hall at Fenway ^
18 — New York, NY — Pier 17 ^
19 — Atlantic City, NJ — Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena ^
20 — Bushkill, PA — Poconos Park Amphitheatre ^
23 — Laval, QC — Place Bell ^
24 — Mississauga, ON — The Theater at Great Canadian Casino Resort ^
26 — Detroit, MI — Meadowbrook Amphitheatre ^
27 — Cincinnati, OH — Riverbend Music Center Amphitheatre ^
28 — Cleveland, OH — Blossom Amphitheatre ^
# — headline appearance
^ — Totally Tubular Festival (feat. Thomas Dolby, Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey, Men Without Hats, The Romantics, Bow Wow Wow, Tommy Tutone, The Plimsouls)
Photo Credit: Sheva Kafai
