SPEAR OF DESTINY ANNOUNCE WINTER UK HEADLINE TOUR

Kicking off in Bristol on 20 November, the live run will see Spear of Destiny head to 17 towns and cities across the UK throughout November and December.

Having first made a stir with their punk-influenced power-rock in 1983, Spear of Destiny emerged from the wreckage of iconic post-punk band Theatre of Hate. Formed by original duo Kirk Brandon and Stan Stammers, the band named themselves after the weapon used by Roman centurion Longinus as he pierced the body of Jesus as he hung on the cross.

Gaining traction in the UK, and with Melody Maker enthusing that “by this time next year, [Spear] should be huge”, their debut album ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ was released in 1983 on Epic Records. After releasing ‘One Eyed Jacks’ in 1984, and almost cracking the UK Top 10 with 1985’s ‘World Service’, Brandon disbanded the existing lineup and Spear of Destiny vanished for much of the next two years.

After bouncing back with a completely new lineup, Spear finally achieved the success that had evaded them for so long, with 1987’s ‘Outland’ spawning some of the band’s biggest hits to date including “Stranger In Our Town”, “Never Take Me Alive” and “Was That You”. They also toured with U2, eventually playing Wembley Stadium with the band that summer.

But, on the eve of a slot at Reading Festival and with their first American tour on the horizon, tragedy struck when Brandon was diagnosed with Reiter’s Syndrome. Over the following years Spear of Destiny struggled amidst Brandon’s diagnosis and legal problems that meant they were prohibited from using their own band’s name.

After finally reclaiming the Spear name in the late 1990s, Brandon and the band have worked consistently ever since: their ninth studio album ‘Morning Star’ was released in 2003, followed by ‘Loadestone’ and ‘Imperial Prototype’ in 2005 and 2007 respectively.

Now in 2023, the current Spear of Destiny lineup is the longest serving to date, featuring Adrian Portas (New Model Army/Sex Gang Children), Craig Adams (Sisters of Mercy/The Cult/The Mission) and Phil Martini (Jim Jones and the Righteous Mind), as well as Clive Osborne on saxophone and Steve Allen-Jones on keys.

Over recent years Brandon has supervised a major reissue campaign of the band’s back catalogue, and Spear have played sell-out shows at the likes of London’s iconic 100 Club and Roundhouse venues, Manchester’s Ritz and Oran Mor in Glasgow, as well as festival slots at Sign of the Times, Rebellion and Kubix.

Now fresh off the back of a US tour, and almost six months since Spear of Destiny last played live, the band are set to return for a UK headline tour this Winter. Tickets are on sale now here, and full dates and details are below.

SPEAR OF DESTINY UK LIVE DATES 2023
NOVEMBER
20 BRISTOL The Fleece
22 LEEDS Brudenell
24 BARNSLEY Birdwell
25 DUNFERMLINE PJ Molloys
26 DERBY Hairy Dog

DECEMBER
03 NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms
04 MANCHESTER Retro Bar
06 YORK Crescent
07 GLASGOW King Tuts
08 ABERDEEN Drummonds
09 EDINBURGH Bannermans
10 NEWCASTLE The Cluny
12 COLCHESTER Arts Centre
13 LONDON 229
14 BIRMINGHAM Castle & Falcon
15 BEDFORD Esquires
16 NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME The Rigger