Membranes To Release Deluxe “Dark Matter / Dark Energy” Vinyl Reissue

In 2015, Membranes released their first album for 25 years. It was a critically acclaimed double album about life, death, and the universe. An ambitious work, it became the band’s best-selling album in a long and unconventional career. Dark Matter / Dark Energy was both the band’s critically acclaimed return and best-selling release and, due to public demand, it is now reissued as a double vinyl album in stunning and experimental, ground-breaking new artwork and packaging. The album, which will be launched in December with gigs alongside The Chameleons at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire on the 7th December and Manchester’s Albert Hall on the 14th December, was inspired by Membranes’ frontman John Robb (Goldblade) meeting John Incandela, the head scientist from the CERN project at a TEDx Talk they were both giving.

Incandela had just completed his work on the Higgs Boson particle project, and Robb became friends with him and other scientists from the project. Their conversations about the universe were mind-blowing, and the album attempted to capture these in musical form. The band toured the album around the world, supporting The Stranglers, The Sisters Of Mercy and Mark Lanegan, who called the Membranes one of his favourite all-time post-punk bands and said that “John Robb is a legend – I’m truly honored to know him”. The new edition of the album comes in revolutionary and stunning new artwork gatefold sleeve, complete with lyric sheet, and a poster of the original album cover, all of which captures its interstellar themes.

The Membranes were formed in Blackpool in the late seventies and were big John Peel and music press favourites with their innovative bass driven discordant Death To Trad Rock sound providing a template and influence for many bands over the years including Big Black, Mercury Rev, The Wedding Present and even the likes of the Lambchop who covered them. John Robb is also a well-known face on TV and radio as well as running the Louder Than War music and culture website and writing best-selling books like Punk Rock – An Oral History and The Art Of Darkness – The History Of Goth. He is currently working on his mémoires and a new Membranes album.