Andy Rourke has formed the new band Blitz Vega with British musician KAV.
The former Smiths bassist has joined forces with the Los Angeles-based frontman – who helped reunite Manchester band Happy Mondays in 2004, and toured with Shaun Ryder and co for four years – for the new project, which according to a press release, sees the pair deliver "big driving tracks, guitar hooks, heavy beats, loops and live drums", much in the vein of bands like Kasabian and Primal Scream.
Blitz Vega – who are based between Los Angeles and New York, where Andy has been living since 2009 – have released their debut single ‘Hey Christo!’ on This Feeling Records today (18.04.19).
The duo have also announced their first live shows at The Mercury Lounge, New York, on June 10, and The Roxy, Los Angeles, on June 12.
The band have been busy in the studio working on new material and are also set to work on a special live EP at the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London on April 20, which is being turned into a documentary.
Andy – who co-founded The Smiths with frontman Morrissey in Manchester in 1982 – is regarded as one of the most iconic bass players in music history.
Over the years he has toured and worked with the likes of The Stone Roses, Sinead O’ Connor, The Pretenders, Badly Drawn Boy, Killing Joke, Peter Hook and Bonehead from Oasis.
In 2016, Andy formed the band D.A.R.K. with the late Dolores O’Riordan, frontwoman of The Cranberries – who passed away unexpectedly in January 2018.
The Smiths – also comprised of guitarist Johnny Marr and drummer Mike Joyce – broke up in acrimonious circumstances in 1987 and despite being offered massive money to reunite for concerts they’ve never reunited.
Johnny previously revealed: "I think we were offered $50 million for three … possibly five shows."
Relations between the band members were poor when Andy and Mike successfully sued Morrissey and Johnny in 1989 to get more than 10 per cent of the group’s royalties.
However, Andy put the past behind him and even reunited with Johnny on stage at two of his shows in the US in 2013, to perform the group’s songs ‘How Soon Is Now?’ and ‘Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want’
Tickets for Blitz Vega’s shows go on sale on Friday (19.04.19).
Andy Rourke drops debut single from new band Blitz Vega
