Octet Makes UK & New Zealand Live Debuts, Announces International Release of Amplify



New York, NY - Progressive reggae band John Brown’s Body will make its UK and New Zealand live debuts this fall, first with a 16-show run supporting label mates Easy Star All-Stars in the UK in October, then with a lengthy NZ tour in November. The New Zealand tour is part of an exciting foreign exchange: from September 10 - 25th, new Easy Star label mates The Black Seeds, one of New Zealand’s top acts, will make their North American debut opening for JBB at 11 shows across the U.S. Then, The Black Seeds return the favor in November by bringing JBB to their home country to open for them. www.johnbrownsbody.com

Coinciding with these tours will be the release of John Brown’s Body’s most recent studio album Amplify, in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Amplify, debuted at number one on Billboard’s Reggae Chart in the U.S., and made iTunes’ “Best of 2008″ list. Amplify will be released in late September/early October in those territories. As a bonus, buyers of Amplify in all formats will get most of the tracks from the remix EP JBB released earlier in 2009, Re-Amplify, including tracks produced by Australian urban roots powerhouse Blue King Brown, UK remixer Wrongtom, UK artist/producer GoldieLocks and Juno Award-nominated Canadian producer Dubmatix.

John Brown’s Body is very excited to introduce The Black Seeds to American audiences on this tour. This Wellington, NZ-based band fuses funk and soul with classic reggae. The Black Seeds have two double-platinum selling albums and one gold album, in their home country, and they have been a hit on the European festival circuit in recent years. In many ways, JBB and The Black Seeds are kindred spirits, working from a reggae base but pushing the genre in new directions, while also both having explosive live shows.

John Brown’s Body has gone through significant changes since the release of 2005’s Pressure Points. Lead singer Elliot Martin underwent throat surgery, several longtime band members departed and the band dealt with the death of bassist Scott Palmer. Palmer lost his battle with cancer in 2006, only six months after his diagnosis. Emerging from these changes, the band’s current line-up is a focused, more experimental outfit than ever before, challenging the usual notions of contemporary reggae.

“JBB is an eight-piece outfit that delivers some of the most forward-thinking reggae music in the world today.” - LA2DAY

“…the band’s energy is soaked up and spread out in all the right places, never allowing Amplify to slow down and catch its breath. A heck of an achievement…” - Glide

US Tour Dates

Sept 09 @ Unity Center for the Performing Arts: Unity, ME
Sept 10 @ Higher Ground: Burlington, VT
Sept 11 @ Bowery Ballroom: New York, NY
Sept 12 @ Castaways: Ithaca, NY
Sept 15 @ The Industry: Iowa City, IA
Sept 17 @ Fox Theatre: Boulder, CO
Sept 18 @ Gothic Theatre: Englewood, CO
Sept 19 @ Mishawaka Amphitheatre: Bellvue, CO
Sept 21 @ Downstairs Park City: Park City, UT
Sept 23 @ Crystal Bay Club: Crystal Bay, NV
Sept 24 @ Rickshaw Stop: San Francisco, CA
Sept 25 @ Belly Up: Solana Beach, CA
Sept 26 @ Key Club: West Hollywood, CA

UK Tour Dates

Oct 01 @ The Assembly: Leamington Spa, UK
Oct 02 @ Brewery Arts Centre: Kendal, UK
Oct 03 @ Corporation: Sheffield, UK
Oct 04 @ Civic Hall: Whitehaven, UK
Oct 06 @ Thekia: Bristol, UK
Oct 07 @ Waterfront: Norwich, UK
Oct 08 @ The Brook: Southampton, UK
Oct 09 @ @ Mr. Kyps: Poole, UK
Oct 10 @ Quarterhouse: Folkestone, UK
Oct 11 @ Oxford Academy: Oxford, UK
Oct 13 @ Scala: London, UK
Oct 14 @ Komedia: Bath, UK
Oct 15 @ The Hippo: Plymouth, UK
Oct 16 @ Princess Pavillion: Falmouth, UK
Oct 17 @ Phoenix Arts Center: Exeter, UK
Oct 18 @ The Globe: Cardiff, UK

NZ Tour
Dates TBA