Blitz Vega, the band led by late Smiths bassist Andy Rourke and singer/guitarist KAV (who played in Happy Mondays in the ’00s), have announced their debut album, Northern Gentlemen, will be released April 26 via FutureSonic Records/CEN/The Orchard. The announcement comes on what would’ve been Rourke’s 60th birthday.
“Every song tells a story and personally takes me back to a memory recording that song, the drive to the studio. That conversation or whatever happened surrounding the recording session,” says Kav if of the album and his musical partnership with Rourke (who died in May 2023). “I hear his voice in my head, replaying everything we talked about when we were recording the song. I see his face smiling at me. On my last trip back to LA a few weeks ago, I was driving to the studio and it felt like Andy was sitting there with me like he had been so many times before, talking about music, just excited to get this album made. So, all the songs mean the world to me.”
Northern Gentlemen features contributions from Rourke’s former bandmate, Johnny Marr, who plays on single “Strong Forever,” as well as producers Z-Trip and Jagz Kooner. You can listen to “Strong Forever,” “Lost & Found,” and “LA Vampires” below.
In addition to the album, Blitz Vega are also reissuing their Strong Forever EP, originally a Record Store Day 2023 exclusive, on vinyl this month.
As to the future of Blitz Vega, KAV says “We are just taking one step at a time. We definitely want to release all the music we recorded and go on tour. I promised this to Andy.”
Northern Gentlemen
Disconnected
Strong Forever (feat. Johnny Marr)
Hole In My Heart
Big Nose
Lost Myself
Lost & Found
High Gravity
Love City
LA Vampire
Pass The Gun
