[press release] Failure celebrate the 20th anniversary of their seminal, 17-track album, Fantastic Planet, with a string of intimate club performances, recreating a routing similar to one they followed after the album’s August 1996 release.
“As much as we were trying to create a new and unique sound with Fantastic Planet, it’s also an homage to the pioneers of the Long-Play format. In the age of streaming playlists, it’s comforting for us to know that others share our love for the Album as art form,” said Failure front man Ken Andrews.
Tickets are on-sale this Friday at 10 am local time. Special, limited edition 20th anniversary Fantastic Planet VIP packages will be available simultaneously via Failureband.com.
Fantastic Planet was released on Aug. 13, 1996. The album earned a perfect 5-star score from Alternative Press who said the collection was able “to breathe life into the corpse of contemporary, guitar-driven rock” adding that the band was “willing to stretch the definition of both their instruments and their songs.” In the years that followed, the album’s stature has grown, becoming one of the era’s most influential and enduring rock records. “Fantastic Planet is the almighty jam,” said Spin in an article announcing the band’s 2014 return, “a 17-track beast of guitar-antihero theatrics and studio-as-instrument bummer luxury.” Pitchfork dubbed the album “a sleeper classic” while Decibel penned a seven-page “Hall of Fame” feature on the album, saying “seriously, this is one of those albums that’s so perfect, the band almost had to implode after it’s release.”
Fantastic Planet 20th Anniversary performances:
October 6 San Diego, CA Music Box
October 7 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy
October 8 Phoenix, AZ Livewire
October 10 Dallas, TX Granada Theater
October 11 Austin, TX The Mohawk
October 13 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
October 14 Greensboro, NC Greene St. Live
October 15 Baltimore, MD Sound Stage
October 17 Boston, MA Royale
October 18 New York, NY Webster Hall
October 19 Philadelphia, PA The Trocadero
October 21 Chicago, IL Double Door
October 22 Grand Rapids, MI The Pyramid Scheme
October 23 Milwaukee, WI Turner Ballroom
October 25 Denver, CO Gothic Theatre
October 27 Seattle, WA Crocodile
October 29 Portland, OR Star Theatre
October 30 San Francisco, CA Social
Failure returned from a 17-year hiatus in early 2014 with a sold out hometown (Los Angeles) performance, followed by performances at Fun Fun Fun Fest, Riot Fest, the Sunset Strip Music Festival and their own headlining tour. In 2015 they announced the release of The Heart Is A Monster, with Greg Edwards saying, “Thematically we’ve moved from the outer space of Fantastic Planet to inner space.” Critics praised the new album, saying it “brilliantly picks up from where Fantastic Planet left off” (Rolling Stone), “is not only a stark reminder of why the band have been so influential but it also underscores their status as modern trailblazers” (Alternative Press), is “a jaw-dropping slab of throbbing, fuzzy, visceral space rock” (Entertainment Weekly) and “a thrilling ride” (Pitchfork).