Kirk Brandon’s legendary post-punk guise – SPEAR OF DESTINY – will extend their ‘JANUS’ tour into 2026 with a run of UK dates this May.
Having spent the tail end of 2024 revisiting classic 80s works on tour with The Skids; 2025 & 2026 are the years of ‘JANUS’ for Spear of Destiny.
The follow-up to 2022’s ‘Ghost Population’ album, ‘JANUS’ was a project two years in the making and features re-recorded and rejuvenated versions of choice cuts from the band’s two biggest selling albums: 1987’s ‘Outland’ and 1988’s ‘The Price You Pay’. 24 tracks re-recorded, re-imagined, and partnered for the first time last year; they were beautifully packaged and presented together on Double Vinyl, Extended Double CD and Download. Order it here.
‘JANUS’ owes its name to the Ancient Roman god of beginnings and endings, of transitions and time, passages and dualities. And aptly for this project, Janus is usually depicted as having two faces.
“Janus, as I’m sure you all know, is the Roman god who looked in two directions…” Kirk Brandon explains. “At the time of making, ‘The Price You Pay’ often in its lyrics, had a backwards looking take on my previous life experiences, several being very personal. Whereas ‘Outland’ with its dystopian lyrics, looked forward. Being done on what was at the time state-of-the-art programming, Fairlight 3. Lyrically it faced the ever increasing out of phase reality we are now firmly in.”
Despite both ‘Outland’ and ‘The Price You Pay’ proving to be Top 40 UK hits (No.16 and No.37 respectively) at the time of their release in the 80s, Kirk was never fully satisfied with the finished products.
As Kirk explains:
“Some may say why re-record, and in a definite sense that is a good question, the reason is that I wanted them to sound as close to what I originally thought they should have sounded like. Which is way different from what both albums did in fact end up sounding like. In particular ‘Outland’ which was principally recorded on a Fairlight 3 program. In fact some of the ‘Outland’ songs like “Land of Shame” were originally scheduled to have been in contention for the earlier ‘World Service’ album but never made it to the selection. Criminal in reality. Record companies shy away from controversial lyrics…”
Having spent much of the interim years performing with a tight band of musicians (Steve Allen Jones, Phil Martini, Craig Adams, Adrian Portas, and Clive Osborne), who have become like brothers and toured doggedly together, Kirk now feels bolstered in confidence to correct the missteps of the past. As he adds:
“I have to gratefully thank, as ever, my band for bringing these songs back to life from a major record company cemetery… With the musicians I have largely been playing with for the last 20+ years, we went back, as we have done with ‘Grapes of Wrath’ ‘One Eyed Jacks’ and ‘World Service’, and done an interesting, I hope, re-interpretation of my original ideas. ”
After a run of hugely successful gigs showcasing the work last year, Kirk and the band will present ‘Janus The Tour’, where they will pull a set list from these fantastic new recordings nightly at these upcoming venues as follows:
SPEAR OF DESTINY – ‘JANUS’ UK TOUR DATES
Monday, 18 May 2026 LONDON 100 club
Tuesday, 19 May 2026 WINCHESTER Railway Live
Wednesday, 20 May 2026 BRISTOL Fleece
Friday, 22 May 2026 STOCKTON-ON-TEES Georgian Theatre
Saturday, 23 May 2026 HITCHIN Club 85
Sunday, 24 May 2026 MILTON KEYNES Craufurd Arms
Monday, 25 May 2026 CAMBRIDGE Portland Arms
Wednesday, 27 May 2026 NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms
Thursday, 28 May 2026 ABERDEEN Drummonds
Friday, 29 May 2026 DUNFERMLINE PJ Molloys
Saturday, 30 May 2026 GALASHIELS Mac Arts
Sunday, 31 May 2026 LEEDS Brudenell
Tickets and details here:
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Hard to believe but it is true that Kirk Brandon has now been leading SPEAR OF DESTINY for over 40 years.
SPEAR OF DESTINY were formed in 1983 after the demise of Kirk Brandon’s post punk iconic rockers THEATRE OF HATE. (Brandon had also, before TOH, been the main man in every punk rockers favourite band of that era The Pack).
The current line up of Spear is the longest serving to date and features 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) on drums. The recording line up was boasted by Saxophonist Clive Osborne. Long time Brandon collaborator Steve Allen-Jones completes the band line up on keyboards..
Post Pandemic has seen SOD play some fabulous club shows and festivals including sell out shows at the iconic 100 Club in London, Manchester Ritz and Glasgow Oran Mor. SOD’s performances at Sign of the Times, Rebellion and Kubix festivals have heralded fantastic reviews “Festival Stealing Dream set” wrote The Northern Echo.
During the Winter of 2024 Spear took to the road with long term friend Richard Jobson who was fronting a revitalised line up of the much loved Post Punk Heroes THE SKIDS. That amazing line played close to 30 shows across the UK, many being complete sell outs… As popular and enduring as they ever have been, don’t miss Spear of Destiny on tour in the UK this May.
SPEAR OF DESTINY – ‘JANUS’ – OUT NOW
CATCH THEM ON TOUR IN THE UK THIS SPRING
FOR MORE INFORMATION
https://www.facebook.com/kirkbrandonofficial
For album downloads please and more information please contact: