This was never intended to replace my activities with The Mission, but merely afford me a distraction. The shows will be very loose and informal and will feature Mission songs, various cover versions, and hopefully some new songs. There won't be a set list as such, it will be me taking requests. These are the confirmed shows so far:

15th - 21st July: Italy - venues to be confirmed
August:
Thu 1st: Crewe Limelight
Thu 8th: London Borderline
Fri 9th: Stourbridge Rock Cafe
Sat 10th: Leicester Charlotte
Sun 11th: Sheffield Boardwalk
Mon 12th: Chester Alexanders
Fri 16th: Farnham (venue tbc)
Sat 17th: York Fibbers
Sun 18th: Ashton-Under-Lyne Witchwood
Fri 23rd: Derby (venue tbc)
Sat 24th: Milton Keynes Stables (tbc)
Thu 29th: Plymouth Cooperage

That's it for the moment, but rest assured there will be more dates and countries added.
Love, Wayne.

The rest of the traveling party held a late night meeting in my hotel room, and being unable to replace Craig at such short notice, we decided on a course of action that we felt would limit the damage, both to us and the promoters, and a course of action that would also limit the disappointment of fans eagerly awaiting the shows in Argentina, Chile, and Peru.

It was decided that I would go on to Argentina alone, thereby already saving the promoters the expense of the additional airfares and hotel accommodation, and meet them at the airport and inform them of the situation and give them a choice. The choice was this: We could cancel the shows or I could play them alone with an acoustic guitar. Neither choice was ideal but we felt it was preferable to no one turning up at all. The idea of playing alone was terrifying to me and I must admit that there was a large part of me that was hoping that the promoters would decide to cancel. I had no time to prepare for this either emotionally or practically but under the circumstances I felt I had to at least give the promoters the choice.

I arrived in Cordova and was met by the promoters and told them the bad news. Of course they were unhappy but they were grateful that I had at least showed up. They called the local promoters in Chile & Peru and it was decided that the shows should go ahead. They also came back with the unique idea of providing me with a local band each night that were at least a little familiar with some Mission songs that, after I finished my solo set, would perform with me. Again, not an ideal solution but under the circumstances I felt I had to do everything possible to try and salvage what was a pretty desperate situation. We then agreed to reduce the fees we were receiving by half if the promoters agreed to make it known before the shows that these were, indeed, Wayne Hussey solo shows and not The Mission. This was going to be achieved by getting the news to local TV, radio and press, and by posting an announcement at the door of the venue informing people what was going on. The fans that had already bought tickets for the shows would then be given the option of a refund or coming to the show. This was the agreement. I was assured every night before the doors opened that the audience were aware of the situation and were being given that choice. Obviously, after reading the postings on the guest book over the last couple of days, the agreement I had with the promoters was breached and they reneged on their promise. All I can do is apologize on behalf of myself and the band for this unfortunate situation.

Please understand that in no way did I personally try to deceive anyone and that the addition of local musicians to perform with me was never intended to appear that said musicians were in fact The Mission. If this was a deceit then it was perpetrated by the promoters and again, I apologise for this misunderstanding.

From my perspective on stage it seemed to me that most people did know and were happy enough and enjoyed the shows for what they were, and although obviously disappointed that the it wasn’t the whole band, were on the whole very understanding and supportive, and I am so thankful for that. It made a very trying experience at least enjoyable. Thank you.

I’d also like to take this opprtunity to thank the 4 bands that played with me too.I know it wasn’t easy for them either and they all worked hard to make a bad situation at least a little more tolerable. Again, thankyou.

As for the future of the band, well, I’ve always contended that we don’t have any long term plans and that hasn’t changed. Craig’s departure will be felt deeply and after 18 years or so of him and I working together I would like to say that I wish him all the best and I love him and will miss him. The European tour that starts next week in Spain is going ahead with a temporary replacement for Craig. We will also play all other sceduled European festival shows over the summer.

The US shows sceduled for June are being moved to later in the year to coincide with the domestic release of ‘AurA’, and the movement of these dates is in no way related to recent events.

Thanks for your continued support. Keep the faith......
Wayne.

A small number of people have experienced delays with their orders from the Playground/MWIS on-line shop. We want to extend our sincere appologies for any inconvenienced caused and to this end, Playground have issued a statement explaining the situation. Otherwise, it's business as usual.

June
Fri 14th Seattle, Catwalk
Sat 15th Portland, venue tbc
Mon 17th Salt Lake City, venue tbc
Wed 19th Santa Ana (Orange Co.), Galaxy Theatre
Thu 20th West Hollywood, Key Club

More tour dates to be announced as they are confirmed.

April 19 April Pro Rock Festival Reclife, Bazil
April 23 Broadway, Sao Paulo, Brazil--Limited Tickets (Acoustic show)
April 25 Venue T.B.A. Cordova, Argentina
April 26 Hangar Buenos Aires, Argentina
April 27 Venue T.B.A Santiago, Chile .

Also, those of you who have ordered the "Shine..." single from the MWIS online store will shortly be receiving them -the majority of orders were posted Monday (11th), with the rest following Tuesday (12th) - thank you all for you patience!

We would also like to take this opportunity to appologise to those of you who have ordered the signed copies of the single; Every effort was made to make that we could get every copy signed - regretfully due to reasons beyond our control this was not possible to fufill. Playground/MWIS can assure you that we take every order seriously and were really pleased to offer signed copies... We are making every effort to rectify the matter.

We've received a large number of picture submissions from the AurA TourA - thanks to all of you who have sent them in!

Finally, we've collated the highlights from recent press reviews and comments, including recent reviews of the Astoria show.

We do, however, have some bad news - It is with considerable regret that Playground Recordings/MWIS are informing you that due to unavoidable delays actually getting the limited edition 7" double vinyl records transported across from the Czech Republic (ie they arrived in the UK a week later than originally advised!), we have had no option but to delay the release date of "Shine Like The Stars" until March 11.

As a direct result of the vinyl's late arrival, although the records have now been numbered the band had insufficient time to add their signatures prior to the Astoria show before taking deserved and planned short breaks after over long five weeks of touring.

For those of you who have already ordered your copy in advance, the vinyl singles can be supplied to you on March 11. However, if you want the band's signatures included as per the original plan, there is going to be a delay. Please let us know via e-mail at playground@themissionuk.com if you would prefer to wait.

Again, sincerest apologies that every effort made on our part was not able to resolve this successfully.

Playground Recordings

Finally, you can download an exclusive mp3 sampler of the three additional tracks from the forthcoming single, "Shine Like the Stars" - Never Let Me Down, Spider & The Fly (in the Ointment) & Sorry…

"I'm Lorenzo Bedini from Cyc Promotions, the concert agency for The Mission Italian shows. I would like to say that I'm personally angry and sorry for what has happened and also that the band is absolutely NOT responsible for the cancellation of the show.

What happened is that the venue failed to provide all the equipment/safety requests which are necessary for a Mission concert to happen.

Months before the tour happened every venue on the Italian tour knew in detail what was requested. Every venue granted the fulfillment of the requests.

But in Prato-Firenze, both myself & the band found a different situation from the one expected. It would have not been possible to do the concert in that condition. The venue tried at the last minute to hire what was missing, and failed. At that point the show had to be cancelled. The Mission were there to play and were as angry as anybody else for the situation.

Regardless of any rumour you may have heard regarding the cancellation of the gig, the truth is that the band is not responsible.

For any complaint/comment/information you can email me directly at:
lorenzo@cycpromotions.com"

Also,Kataweb Musica have published an interview/review (in Italian).

Finally, the UK shows are selling fast - if you still haven't got your tickets, we recommend you move pretty quicky; Bristol has already sold out, whilst London and Leeds look to follow shortly! .  

We would also like to take this opportunity to quosh any rumour about any secret shows planned - the plain truth is there aren't any planned!

Both formats also include THREE previously unreleased additional tracks "Never Let Me Down" (Depeche Mode cover and live favourite), "Spider And The Fly (In The Ointment)" and "Sorry...".

EXCLUSIVE OFFER...
MWIS and Playground Recordings are making available 500 of the 7" gatefold singles all of which will be individually numbered and signed by the band. Copies of this strictly limited edition single can ONLY be purchased either via the online store or via the MWIS PO Box address. This offer is not available anywhere else.

To pre-order or for further information, click here.

Please note that PROVIDED your order is received, your details are correct and PROVIDED payment by credit card (via online store) or cheque (via mail order address) is cleared by February 25th, every effort will be made to ensure that the new single gets to you the official week of release.

Keep the Faith!

The first tour pictures are available from "AurA TouA" - more to follow!

Thanks to James Wright who transcribed a recent interview with Wayne by Classic Rock - click here to read the text in full.

Finally, some of you have reported random issues with the MWIS shop - I've identified a javascript issue for certain browsers and have made a fix. Should work for you all now! (tested on IE5 and NS4 + 6 on PC)

Those of you who have already seen the band live on the current tour will know that there is new merchandise available to buy. This will continue for the rest of the tour, but for those of you who can't make the shows and want to get your hands on the new merchandise, you can do so by visiting our merchandise agents website.

In the meantime, the Bochum show on the 3rd Feb. is now sold out!

"Aura opens with "Evangeline", the unstoppable single whose arpeggios are reminiscent of the grand hour of "Beyond The Pale" and "Deliverance"...."Mesmerized" is a haunting lament of which the band has the secret. "Lay Your Hand On Me" alternates between the calm and the storm..."In Denial" concludes the album with suffering but in beauty....With Aura, The Mission has returned to its trademark sound and in the process reawakened the sensations thought to be buried forever."

Q Magazine - a leading UK music magazine have reviewed AurA, giving it a justified 4 out of 5 stars. Here's what they had to say:
"...The only way forward (for the band) was either to give up or achieve a near-impossible career rejuvenation by writing The Mission's most satisfying album to date. Incredibly, Hussey has achieved the latter with an album that has the potential to reach a new generation of black-clad admirers. Aura oozes sleazy theatricality and citrus-like humour as the singer documents flamboyant sexual encounters in songs such as the anthemic (Slave to) Lust and Evangeline. The album stretches from Catalonian bars to the neon streets of Tokyo, freely indulging in the forbidden fruit of billowing, Banshee-esque guitars and guilt free pop choruses."

Additional dates for the AurA TourA are confirmed as Mannheim on 19th February and Bochum Zeche on the 20th.

We hope to also make purchasing AurA (including the limited edition vinyl) and related singles through the web even easier shortly - full details to follow.

Mark's replacement, at least for the forthcoming tour, will be Rob Holliday who deputised for Mark on the recent tour of Germany, Switzerland & Austria with HIM. The band would like to take this opportunity to wish Mark all the best for the future, and to say Thankyou for his valuable contribution to the album 'AurA', and all the band activities over the last 9 years or so.

In other news,the band have added an additional date to the 2002 AurA tour; 28th Feb at the Bristol Fleece & Firkin. Wayne will also be guest DJ in Sao Paulo during the Christmas period - more info to follow.

As you will have already noticed, the new look MWIS is now (finally) live - there are a few gaps here and there but all important info is available. We've also brought back the messageboard - new and improved!

FEBRUARY
Fri 1st Glauchau Alte Spinnerei (near Chemnitz)
Sat 2nd Herford Kick
Sun 3rd Bochum Zeche
Tue 5th Berlin Columbiafritz
Wed 6th Bamberg Live Club (near Nuremberg)
Fri 8th Karlsruhe Substage
Sat 9th Munich Backstage
Sun 10th Graz Orpheum
Mon 11th Vienna Planet Music
Tue 12th Zagreb
Wed 13th Ljubjlana 500
Fri 15th Rome Blackout
Sat 16th Florence Prato
Sun 17th Milan Transilvania
Mon 18th Zurich Abart Music Club
Thu 21st Amsterdam Paradiso
Fri 22nd Brussels VK
Sun 24th Edinburgh Liquid Room
Mon 25th Leeds Cockpit
Tue 26th Nottingham Rock City
Wed 27th Manchester University

MARCH
Fri 1st London Astoria 2,000

JAN 2002
Sat 26th Strasbourge La Laiterie
Sun 27th Paris La Locomotive
Mon 28th Frankfurt Batschkapp
Tue 29th Cologne Live Music Hall
Thu 31st Hamburg Markthalle

FEB 2002
Fri 1st Glauchau 51 Alte Spinnerei (near Chemnitz)
Sat 2nd Herford 51 Kick
Sun 3rd Bochum Zeche
Tue 5th Berlin Columbiafritz
Wed 6th Bamberg 51 Live Club (near Nuremberg)
Fri 8th Karlsruhe Substage
Sat 9th Munich 51 Backstage
Sun 10th Zurich Abart (tbc)

More dates to follow.

This week's alternative/college radio chart positions in Germany...

"EVANGELINE" slips from No. 3 to No. 4 in the German national Alternative Chart (DAC) behind New Order, The Cure and Depeche Mode - after 5 weeks on chart...but goes up from No. 4 to.... No. 1 in the German national College Radio chart (DAC) - after 2 weeks on chart!!!

"AurA" enters at No. 2 in the German national alternative album chart (DAC) - Highest New Entry!

"Evangeline" and "AurA" will also be available through ASP Records in South Africa - Barney Simon on 5FM will also be interviewing Wayne 29th November live on air!

Finally, we will shortly be releasing a new version of this website - the current version has served faithfully for the last two years, but the time has come to update once more. During the transition there may be a small period of down time - once we have a confirmed date of the change we'll let you know more info.

As you are probably aware, "AurA" has now been released in only certain parts of Europe with the remainder to follow in the next few weeks. Again, our apologies to you in the UK, but you"re gonna have to wait a little longer than the rest of Europe. And it"s not because we don"t like you. It's because there have been a few technical delays, too mundane and boring to go into here. Anyway, think about the people in the rest of the world who are waiting, and are going to have to wait even longer than you, some, like the USA, until next year even.

Anyway, I can confirm that "Evangeline" will be released in the UK on the 19th November on Playground Recordings, with "Aura" to follow a week later on the 26th, again on Playground. "Evangeline" has 3 other tracks, these being "Anyone But You", "Melt", & "Swoon (reprise)".  The final track listing for the album is as follows: 1. Evangeline 2. Shine Like The Stars 3. (Slave to) Lust 4. Mesmerised 5. Lay Your Hands On Me 6. Dragonfly 7. Happy 8. To Die By Your Hand 9. Trophy/It Never Rains..... 10. The Light That Pours From You 11. Burlesque 12. Cocoon 13. In Denial.

The album was produced by myself with 6 songs being mixed by Dave Allen and 7 by Steve Power, two old friends of mine. In the UK (as in France & Germany) there will also be limited editions of the album that come with a bonus CD-Rom including the 'Evangeline' video' and a live version of 'Deliverance' filmed at Oberhausen but only the UK version will contain an exclusive additional track, an exclusive interview piece with yours truly interspersed with some recording footage of us hard at work recording "AurA", a direct link to this website to access an exclusive additional track only available here, some photos and some Mission related screensavers. Additionally the CD version of AurA will be available in a very limited quantity of CD slip cases. We are also releasing a strictly limited gatefold two disc vinyl version of "AurA".

We think the album is rather good and it represents a pretty good year for yours truly. I think you'll like it.

We do have touring plans for the new year and we hope to be able to confirm some of these plans in the next few days and we"ll let you know here on the website as soon as we know.

The tour in Germany, Austria, & Switzerland with HIM was a lot of fun. I think it"s fair to say that a good time was had by all. It"s been a long time since we played a support tour and it was great to play the bigger venues again. I think it"s fair to say that we did convert some new believers to the faith.

After a couple of weeks of promotion around Europe I"m now back in the studio again in California recording "b" sides and extra tracks for future singles. Some new songs, some cover versions, and some new versions of older songs.

OK, that's it from me for the time being.......see you soon.........
Love, Wayne.

Here are some choice quotes from Greece's Metal Hammer magazine during their interview

From the Review:
"This is the album of the year to me. It spins you from passion to tenderness and makes you forget to breathe. It would be unfair to categorize it as it is music for people, made by people that love music".

From the Interview:
"THE RETURN OF THE GOTH GIANT WITH THE TENDER HEART.
...I think his (Wayne's) history is enough to make clear to anyone his huge musical fingerprint..."

The band have sent in some pictures during the HIM tour - click here to check them out!

Now, after almost six years of silence, we can officially confirm that the long wait in the UK is over!!!On November 12, The Mission will release a brand new 4 track single through Playground Recordings entitled "Evangeline " which we think is a bit special.

As previously mentioned in an earlier news update, confirmed track listings are:- "Evangeline", "Anyone But You", "Melt" and "Swoon (reprise)"  - Available formats:- limited edition CD single (PGNDCD 001) and limited edition 7" gatefold coloured vinyl pack (PGND 001) - please note that the vinyl format of "Evangeline" will ONLY be available in the UK.

All four tracks were produced by our Glorious Leader, Mr Huss, and mixed by Dave Allen who has produced a number of Cure albums (including Wish) and the first Sisters of Mercy (!) album among others in an illustrious career.

As many of you are aware, the band have been busy thundering across Germany, Austria and Switzerland playing in vast arenas to packed houses as Special Guests on the recent Him tour and having a lot of fun. Several people who have followed the band everywhere since the early days reckoned the second night in Zurich was arguably the best live show the band had ever played so it must have been quite a night!

In addition, Wayne and Craig completed over fifty important interviews during the tour and the media reaction to the band (and the new recordings which they have heard) has been extraordinarily positive. We have already included some quotes from key German and French magazines on the activity page and more will follow.

While all this mayhem has been going on, the UK label has been busy in their wake making arrangements for the band to get Mish records put out in as many countries as possible (see the activity page) which is what we all want surely. We can officially confirm that the band's records will be released internationally by the following record labels:-

We are delighted to welcome them all into the Mish family!

In the old days and before the arrival of the Internet and MWIS, Mission records were usually released simultaneously so everyone was able to hear the music at the same time. However, on this occasion, SPV RECORDS have been permitted to release the "Evangeline" single earlier than other countries to satisfy the interest and demand that has followed on from the recent successful three week stint of live shows in the GAS countries and one or two other companies like XIII BIS have asked to follow suit.

This week, "Evangeline" is being sent out to the UK radio stations, press publications and rock clubs and the new video is being despatched to the various TV stations so keep your ears and eyes peeled and let us know if you hear or see "Evangeline" anywhere. Wayne and Craig are going to be interviewed by a number of UK media people next Thursday in London. Again, the UK media reaction to the new recordings has been excellent. Further details on all these interviews will be available here in the next few days once they have been confirmed.

As far as the new album "AurA" is concerned, again SPV and XIII BIS are being permitted to release it a week or two earlier than here for the same reason as before.

For our UK followers, however, we are intending to include something extra special with "AurA" which will be unique and exclusive only to the UK release and not available anywhere else in the world. Expect a full announcement about further details on "AurA" to be made here in the next few days as soon as they are confirmed.

Keep the faith!

SONIC SEDUCER:
And then, all of a sudden, THE MISSION came up with "AurA", an album that can not only compete against its best predecessors but also leaves behind everything the band did in the last ten years. Now, how many bands are capable of doing this after more than fifteen years in this business?
Und ganz nebenbei haben THE MISSION mit "AurA" ein Album aus dem Ärmel gezaubert, das mit seinen besten Vorgängern konkurrieren kann, und klar alle Werke der Band aus den letzten 10 Jahren hinter sich läßt. Wie viele Gruppen können das wohl von sich behaupten, nach mehr als fünfzehn Jahren im Geschäft?
 

ORKUS:
I can't deny to be amazed by the band's development! The boys made clear that everyone can again count on THE MISSION!
Ich kann nicht verleugnen, daß ich ob dieser Entwicklung begeistert bin! Mit The Mission dürfte wieder zu rechnen sein!

Just a reminder that Mission Merchandise is available from Big-Stone!

"There are some groups who seem to resist time, changing fashions, musical styles...Whether you are an avid fan of the group or a novice in this scene, there's no doubt that this excellent "AurA" will transfix you." (Elegy Magazine)

"The dignified heir of "God' Own Medicine" and "Carved In Sand", "AurA" is the album the fans have been waiting for for 10 years...God Bless The Mission!" (D-Side Magazine)

"First and foremost, we can enjoy the comeback of the year: THE MISSION are not only back, but have come up with a new album - a piece of art of the kind that's very rarely made by bands these days" (Zillo Magazine)

"There are some groups who seem to resist time, changing fashions, musical styles...Whether you are an avid fan of the group or a novice in this scene, there's no doubt that this excellent "AurA" will transfix you." (Elegy Magazine) "The dignified heir of "God' Own Medicine" and "Carved In Sand", "AurA" is the album the fans have been waiting for for 10 years...God Bless The Mission!" (D-Side Magazine) "First and foremost, we can enjoy the comeback of the year: THE MISSION are not only back, but have come up with a new album - a piece of art of the kind that's very rarely made by bands these days" (Zillo Magazine)