THE MISSION WEST COAST TOUR DATES
TOUR INCLUDES A STOP AT PASADENA’S CRUEL WORLD FESTIVAL
For British post-punk band THE MISSION , hitting the road in America is something to look forward to. In Spring 2024, they’re playing a round of dates on the West Coast that culminates in a prime spot on Pasadena’s annual CRUEL WORLD on May 11th. (the tour continues with three additional dates in Canada before heading to Europe). “I’ve always liked the West Coast,” says vocalist/guitarist Wayne Hussey. “I even lived in SoCal for 4-5 years in the late ‘90s. I prefer to visit though than to live there.”
Hitting Las Vegas, Portland, Sacramento, and San Francisco, among other dates, before hitting the alternative festival, The Mission are looking forward to their West Coast trek which follows their six-week trek across the country in 2023. “There are some really beautiful drives up and down that coast, not that we’ll see ‘em traveling on a band bus,” he laughs. “Gotta say that the West Coast is generally among the best-looking audiences, so that’s reason enough, I’d say, for liking to tour there.” Coincidentally, Blood Brothers are playing at Los Angeles’ Viper Room on April 27th (*wink wink*).
Excited to play Cruel World, Hussey is looking forward to sharing the bill with bands as diverse as Duran Duran, Placebo, Ministry, Soft Cell, and Blondie, to name a few. “It’s a very eclectic bill… a lot of bands playing that I’d like to see,” he says. “It’s a shame we don’t generally get festival lineups like this in Europe. They tend to be more genre-specific. Hence, we usually just play goth/rock festivals which can be frustrating as I really don’t see us as exclusively fitting into any particular genre.”
A nice capper to this U.S. run of dates, he hopes that the weather stays pleasant, unlike 2023’s festival which was shut down by an electrical storm that curtailed the final two acts, Gary Numan and Siouxsie Sioux. “I hope we don’t get a storm like they did last year though, because that would make it feel like a Northern European festival,” he laughs. “And plus, I wanna feel like I’m in California.”
Beginning in 1985 by Hussey and bassist Craig Adams, The Mission has released ten studio albums and has consistently remained at the forefront of the British alt-rock and post-punk wave through hiatuses and lineup changes. The original core – Hussey, Adams and guitarist Simon Hinkler relinked in 2011 and has been going on strong ever since. Their latest album – 2016’s Another Fall From Grace – is arguably considered their best album ever, which Hussey has described as the lost link between The Sisters of Mercy’s First and Last and Always and The Mission’s first album, God’s Own Medicine. He largely attributes this to his use of the electric 12-string guitar which fell out of favor with the singer-songwriter during The Mission’s interim years.
With new drummer Alex Baum now installed behind the kit, 2024 finds the band in fine form with shows in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Dubai already confirmed with possibly more to follow. Looking forward to what’s in store for the future, Hussey says. “I will be attempting to put a bunch of new tunes together for a new Mission album. It’s about time, don’t you think,” referring to the gap of time since 2016’s album. “We’d like to get it ready for release in 2026 to commemorate our 40th anniversary. How the hell have we survived? I shouldn’t say that really, should I? It’s tempting fate, isn’t it?”
The Mission is Wayne Hussey (vocals, guitar), Craig Adams (bass), Simon Hinkler (guitar), and Alex Baum (drums).
Tour Dates
April 28 Las Vegas, NV Backstage Bar
April 29 Fresno, CA Strummer’s
May 1 Portland, OR Mission Theater
May 2 Seattle, WA El Corazon
May 3 Tacoma, WA Spanish Ballroom
May 5 Eugene, OR W.O.W. Hall
May 6 Sacramento, CA Harlow’s
May 8 San Jose, CA The Ritz
May 9 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
May 11 Pasadena, CA Cruel World
May 12 Vancouver, BC Rickshaw Theater
May 15 Edmonton, AB Midway Music Hall
May 16 Calgary, AB Palace Theater
Artist Links
Photo Credit: James Sharples
