NEW EP BY UK INDUSTRIAL GLAM MAVERICK PIG DIRT BOX OUT NOW | CURRENTLY ON TOUR IN NORTH AMERICA
METROPOLIS RECORDS
UK industrial glam maverick Raymond Watts, aka PIG, released a new EP entitled Dirt Box on 4th September via Metropolis Records. It comes shortly after the commencement of a North American tour to promote the band’s current full-length album Hurt People Hurt, which received stellar reviews upon release in late May.
The EP was previewed with the single “An American Ideal Of Beauty”, co-written with Marc Heal (Cubanate, C-Tec) and also featuring Heal on co-vocals and synth, plus Günter Schulz (ex-KMFDM) sharing guitar duties with Watts’ regular songwriting partner Jim Davies (ex-The Prodigy and Pitchshifter). A stunning video for the song is directed by E Gabriel Edvy for Blackswitch Labs.
The recording sessions for Dirt Box produced four collaborative songs in all, including the Watts/Heal/Davies co-write “Your Reptilian Overlord Presents”. “I really wanted PIG to put its big boots back on the boar, with ‘Your Reptilian Overlord Presents’ being the result,” states Watts. “It’s a majestic slice of sleaze that grinds the gears and lifts the lid on the glutton behind the glam.”
Each song has been remixed by contemporaries that include Stabbing Westward’s Chris Hall and Combichrist, with all eight tracks collected on the final EP tracklist
Preceded by the singles “Tosca’S Kiss” Video and “Sex & Suicide” Lyric Video, Hurt People Hurt received some of the best reviews of Watts’ career globally, with Bearded Gentlemen Music (US) describing him as “the missing link between David Bowie, Gary Numan and Trent Reznor.”
Much of the album was co-written by Watts with Jim Davies, Treble Zine (US) commenting that their work together “brings a theatrical quirkiness to the industrial crunch. There is attention to detail in the songwriting, while the vocals are emoted with conviction, showing that experience has its perks.” Elsewhere, Tinnitist (Canada) stated its songs were “danceable and deadly serious in turn. PIG climbs peaks and mines troughs, while musical genres slide and collide like tectonic plates.”
In his home territory, Classic Rock pointed out that “Watts is industrial rock’s handsome rogue and a one-stop shop for devastating dancefloor beats and snarling vocals,” and that the album’s title track “brings to mind both Ghost and Sisters of Mercy at their most extravagant.” Vive Le Rock added that “PIG are cut from esteemed cloth, and the quality offered here is second to none,” while Electronic Sound concurred that the “existential glam maverick continues to carve an enduring impression into the backside of the industrial rock scene.”
The North American tour will be followed by four UK shows in December.
Tour Dates
Wed, Aug 26 – Minneapolis MN
Thu, Aug 27 – Lawrence KS @ The Bottleneck
Fri, Aug 28 – Denver, CO @ Summit w/ Nitzer Ebb
Sat, Aug 29 – Salt Lake City UT @ Quarters DLC
Mon, Aug 31 – Garden City ID @ Visual Arts Collective
Wed, Sept 2 – Spokane, WA @ Big Dipper
Thu, Sept 3 – Bellingham WA @ The Shakedown
Fri, Sept 4 – Seattle WA @ El Corazon
Sat, Sept 5 – Portland OR @ Star Theater
Mon, Sept 7 – Eugene OR @ John Henry’s
Tue, Sept 8 – Eureka, CA @ Savage Henry
Wed, Sept 9 – Sacramento CA @ Cafe Colonial
Thu, Sept 10 – San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge
Fri, Sept 11 – Los Angeles CA @ Cold Waves – Pacific Electric
Sat, Sept 12 – Santa Ana, CA @ La Santa
Sun, Sept 13 – Phoenix AZ @ Last Exit Live
Mon, Sept 14 – El Paso, TX @ Bye Bye Dear
Wed, Sept 16 – Dallas, TX @ AM FM
Thu, Sept 17 – San Antonio TX @ Paper Tiger
Fri, Sept 18 – Austin TX @ Cold Waves – The Mohawk
Sat, Sept 19 – Little Rock AR @ Birdie’s
Sun, Sept 20 – St Louis, MO @ Red Flag
Tue, Sept 22 – Madison WI @ Crucible
Wed, Sept 23 – Davenport IA @ Raccoon Motel
Fri, Sept 25 – Chicago IL @ Cold Waves – The Metro
Sat, Sept 26 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern
Sun, Sept 27 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
Mon, Sept 28 – Boston MA @ O’Brien’s
Tue, Sept 29 – Syracuse, NY @ The Song and Dance
Thu, Oct 1 – Philadelphia PA @ Nikki Lopez
Fri, Oct 2 – Brooklyn NY @ Saint Vitus
Sat, Oct 3 – Millersville, PA @ Phantom Power
Sun, Oct 4 – Richmond VA @ Fallout
Mon, Oct 5 – Greenville SC @ Radio Room
Wed, Oct 7 – Atlanta GA @ Drunken Unicorn
Thu, Oct 8 – Orlando, FL @ Conduit
Fri, Oct 9 – Tampa FL @ Orpheum
Tue, Oct 13 – Columbus OH @ Rumba
Wed, Oct 14 – Pittsburgh PA @ Sidequest
Thu, Oct 15 – Hamilton ON @ Mill’s Hardware
Fri, Oct 16 – Montreal QC @ Toscadura
Sat, Oct 17 – Toronto ON @ Hard Luck Bar
Sun, Oct 18 – Detroit, MI @ Smalls
Artist Links
Photo Credit: E Gabriel Edvy
