Guitar virtuoso and rock legend Steve Hackett, formerly of Genesis, released his latest album, The Night Siren, today through InsideOut Music (Sony).
As implied by its title, The Night Siren is a wakeup call—the warning of a siren sounding in this era of strife and division—and Hackett discusses the album in detail in a brand-new interview video that you can watch here.
The Night Siren showcases Hackett’s virtuoso guitar playing as strongly as ever, along with regular collaborators, plus musicians from several different countries who were invited to celebrate multicultural diversity and unity.
Hackett is widely traveled, making friends everywhere he goes, and has always embraced multicultural diversity. In these times of unrest, he has been inspired to express his belief that the world needs more empathy and unity. His wish to involve a range of musical sounds, instruments, musicians and singers from different parts of the world is both a development of his eclectic approach to music, and also shows how people can be brought together—even from war torn regions.
Talking about his latest work, Hackett says, “This latest waxing represents a bird’s eye view of the world of a musical migrant ignoring borders and celebrating our common ancestry with a unity of spirit, featuring musicians, singers and instruments from all over the world. From territorial frontiers to walled-up gateways, boundaries often hold back the tide. But while the night siren wails, music breaches all defenses. To quote Plato, ‘When the music changes, the walls of the city shake.’”
The musical journey takes us from “Behind the Smoke,” focusing on the plight of refugees throughout the ages, to the penultimate track “West to East,” which reflects on the damage of war and the hope for a better world. From personal to universal, the themes celebrate the life force, breaking free from chains of repression.
You can watch the video for “Behind the Smoke” below:
The Night Siren is available as a special edition CD/Blu-Ray Digipak featuring 5.1 Surround Sound and making-of documentary, standard jewelcase CD, gatefold 2LP vinyl + CD, and digital download.
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The Night Siren track list: 1. Behind the Smoke 2. Martian Sea 3. Fifty Miles from the North Pole 4. El Niño 5. Other Side of the Wall 6. Anything But Love 7. Inca Terra 8. In Another Life 9. In the Skeleton Gallery 10. West to East 11. The Gift
Steve Hackett is also returning with an exciting new show, Genesis Revisited with Classic Hackett, for both UK/European and US tour dates. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the classic Genesis album Wind and Wuthering, Hackett and his band will be performing several tracks from the album as well as fan favorites.
Genesis Revisited with Classic Hackett 2017 24th March – Kursaal, Sala de Camara, San Sebastian, Spain 26th March – Trianon, Paris, France 27th March – Kulturfabrik Kofmehl, Solothurm, Switzerland 29th March – Teatro Colosseo, Torino, Italy 30th March – Teatro Galleria, Legnano, Italy 31st March – Teatro Astro, Schia, Italy 1st April – Teatro della Conciliazione, Rome, Italy 3rd April – Posthalle, Wurzburg, Germany 4th April – Capitol, Offenbach, Germany 5th April – Amager Bio, Copenhagen, Denmark 7th April – Union Scene, Drammen, Norway 8th April – Nalen, Stockholm, Sweden 10th April – Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany 11th April – Laeiszhalle, Hamburg, Germany 12th April – Ruhr Congress, Bochum, Germany 13th April – Haus Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany 15th April – Cultuurpodium Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands 16th April - Cultuurpodium Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands 26th April – Vicar Street, Dublin, Ireland 28th April – St David’s Hall, Cardiff, UK 30th April – Hexagon, Reading, UK 1st May – Symphony Hall, Birmingham, UK 3rd May – City Hall, Sheffield, UK 4th May – Colston Hall, Bristol, UK 5th May – Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, UK 7th May – Philharmonic, Liverpool, UK 8th May – Guildhall, Portsmouth, UK 10th May – Cliffs Pavilion, Southend, UK 11th May – Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, UK 13th May – New Theatre, Oxford, UK 14th May – Corn Exchange, Cambridge, UK 16th May – Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, UK 17th May – Sage, Gateshead, UK 19th May – Palladium, London, UK
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