GHOST DANCE + ROSE OF AVALANCHE – A Thunderous Double Bill

GHOST DANCE Biography:

In a triumphant return to the gothic rock scene, Leeds-based legends Ghost Dance, fronted by the enigmatic Anne Marie Hurst of Skeletal Family fame, are poised to release their brand new album, The Silent Shout, this May via Voltage Records. Eager to share their haunting soundscapes with fans old and new, the band has announced a run of headline UK gigs in support of the new LP.

Hurst’s journey began in the murky depths of the UK Goth Rock scene as a backing vocalist for the Elements in Keighley. In December 1982, she co-founded the iconic Skeletal Family, only to depart in 1985 and join forces with Gary Marx, ex-guitarist of The Sisters of Mercy, to create Ghost Dance. The band’s Karbon Records days spawned several indie chart hits, later compiled on the Gathering Dust album. In 1989, they signed with Chrysalis Records, releasing the Stop The World album and two more singles, with “Down To The Wire” clawing its way to no.66 on the UK singles chart.

In 2019, Anne Marie breathed new life into Ghost Dance, teaming up with former Harlequyn members Tim Walker, Phil Noble, and Dave Wood. The following year, Stephen Derrig (formerly of Original Sin) solidified the lineup, and work commenced on their eagerly-awaited new album. Both Harlequyn and Original Sin had shared the stage with the original Ghost Dance lineup in the late 80s. The powerful single “Falling Down” dropped on Voltage Records in August 2021, followed by the ethereal “Jessamine” in 2022.

The Silent Shout weaves together eight mesmerizing new tracks and two previously unreleased gems penned by Sisters of Mercy guitarist Gary Marx, who, alongside Anne Marie, co-founded Ghost Dance back in 1985. Featuring a sleeve designed by Keith J Burton, The Silent Shout descends upon the world on May 5th. The album will be available in both CD and vinyl formats through Voltage Records and PHD distribution worldwide, as well as across all major online platforms.

Over the past 18 months, Ghost Dance’s revitalized lineup has captivated audiences at countless sold-out shows throughout the UK, including a spellbinding guest appearance alongside Fields of the Nephilim at the Tomorrow’s Ghosts festival in Whitby.

ROSE OF AVALANCHE Biography: 

Leeds, 1983. Three tearaway school mates are skipping school to listen to Hendrix, MC5, The Stooges, Lou Reed and daydreaming about becoming rock stars. But even the most idealistic adolescent couldn’t have guessed just how quickly those dreams would become reality. 

The band name arrived in early ‘84 and just 12 months later, having not yet played a gig, this fresh-faced ragtag band were in the BBC’s Maida Vale Studios recording their own John Peel session.
Young, naive, and still learning their craft, however right from the off they were churning out finely tuned slabs of sleazy, guitar-driven goth rock that belied their age and experience. Peel loved them and followed the BBC1 session by placing the bands first single “L.A.Rain” at number 26 in his 1985 Festive 50, above songs by The Cure, The Smiths and The Sisters of Mercy. 

From there the next four singles dominated the UK Independent Charts. “Goddess” matched the chart-topping debut “L.A.Rain” and was named Single of The Week by Sounds, “Too Many Castles In The Sky” went Top 5, followed by “Velveteen” and “Always There”. In parallel to this chart success, the band were fine-tuning their live show in the limelight of the prestigious UK & European support slot to media darlings The Mission on their hedonistic 1986/87 World Crusade Tour. 

Then just at the point of taking the next big leap, the band hit legal issues which put a metaphorical “stick in the works”. Their much-anticipated debut album was delayed by nearly two years, with “Never Another Sunset” finally being released in 1989. 

Despite this loss of momentum, the band retained a loyal following in mainland Europe and went on to release two further albums, 1990’s “String A Beads” and I.C.E. in 1991. At the turn of the decade, musical tastes & the priorities of band members were changing and following a final European tour in 1992, the band called time and split.
27 years of silence followed.

Various rumours of a reunion surfaced over the intervening years, and there was still clearly a demand from a passionate fan base. In August 2019, seemingly out of the blue, the impossible happened. The band announced it was reforming the original line up and played a secret friends and family gig at the Fox and Newt Leeds in September 2019.
2020 started strong with an appearance at the Porta Nigra Festival in Belgium and a headline at the famous Gibus Live in Paris, but then the comeback was put temporarily on hold due to the pandemic. At the end of 2021 the band released their long awaited BBC sessions recorded for John Peel and Janice Long, and closed the year out with an intimate club tour of the UK.
Into spring 2022 the band finally played again with The Mission to thousands of people in academy size venues across the UK. 

Paul Berry left the band in the Summer of 2022 and was replaced by legendary guitarist David ‘Wolfie’ Wolfenden (ex Lorries and The Mission) with the new line up straight into action headlining the inaugural Antenna Festival in Leeds and taking a prestigious slot at the Tomorrow’s Ghosts Festival in April of 23.

In 2024, the band were confirmed to play at the world renowned Wave Gotik Treffen festival in Leipzig, Germany and the equally renowned Rebellion Punk Festival in Blackpool. At the same time they also signed with the International Booking Development for the booking of shows in Europe, with dates for shows expected shortly.

The band has also recently signed with Dakota Music Media for the much overdue vinyl release of The Rose of Avalanche at the BBC, comprising tracks from the John Peel and Janice Long sessions that the band recorded for the BBC in 1985/6.

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