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New Wave, electronica and the theme of loneliness are key concepts when talking about D.A.R.K. Formed by Dolores O’Riordan, Andy Rourke, (The Smiths) and the DJ and producer Olé Koretsky, they are publishing their debut album, “Science Agrees”, on August 19^th. Unconcerned by the mainstream norms imposed by the music industry, they rely on their own criteria and experience as musicians, although Depeche Mode, Joy Division and New Order remain a probable influence.

Christopher Friedmann has talked to Andy Rourke for ARTISTdirect about D.A.R.K. and its origins as Jetlag, their plans to *hopefully* tour United States in the winter and his expectations about “Science Agrees” and the band’s near future. This is a summary with the most relevant points in the interview, which you can find at ArtistDirect: http://www.artistdirectinterviews.com/indie/dark-andy-rourke-science-matters-interview

Christopher Friedmann: You and Ole have been collaborating as DJs for awhile now, but you decided to include Dolores in D.A.R.K. due to a chance meeting. Could you describe how you two stumbled upon one another and why you thought she was the right fit for this project?

Andy Rourke: I’ll correct you on the me and Ole thing. We started off as DJs called Jetleg and then we started doing remixes for a couple of bands. All the way through that we were making our own music, we just didn’t know really what to do with it. We probably had 40 or 50 songs that were piling up. Then through my manager, Melissa, and Dolores’ then manager, we found out that she was looking for something new to get her teeth into. We sent her along the Jetlag tapes, so to speak, initially with no vocals, just instrumental, and she said, “No, no, I wanna hear the full song.” Then we sent them again and she really liked it, so then we got together, did a few recordings, it went really well – we did them all over the place, but mainly in Canada, New York, a couple in L.A., but the actual music was mainly recorded in Ole’s basement, his home studio.

CF: When you started collaborating with Dolores, you did so over email. How does it feel to submit your creations to someone else with no control over what they will do with them after they leave your finger tips?

AR: You get a bit nervous about how it’s gonna be received, but luckily there wasn’t an issue. She likes it, but it was a bit strange sending stuff via email before we even met the person. Now we’ve gone on to become very close friends, we see each other a lot, speak a lot.

CF: New Wave and electronica have a clear influence on the album and there are some similarities to Depeche Mode and New Order. Do you have a sense of tradition, in that you can now concentrate on emotional content of music, rather than meet demands to represent the genre itself?

AR: I think we’ve always gone with our gut and definitely our influences and never felt obliged to conform with what’s going on currently in the music business. We are kind of selfish in that respect. We just pull things from our influences and our growing up and just stuff we listen to every day. We soak it up like a sponge and, of course, it’s gonna influence the music we create.

CF: Aside from the musical elements of the album, the lyrical content is pretty shrewd. Themes of isolation and loneliness are touched on. Were those strong, existential elements decided on at the start of the process – or are the themes a product of the chemistry of process?

AR: I would say 75 percent of the lyrics Ole had already recorded for the Jetlag project and that’s always been the nature of his writing. He’s not such a happy-go-lucky guy, you know. He’s one of my best friends, but he’s not happy unless he’s complaining. He’s obviously inspired by bands like Joy Division and New Order. He sings about what is pertinent to him and his life, and yeah, it’s not so happy go lucky. I would say you have to speak to Ole about this. I’m a lowly bass player/songwriter.

CF: When we consider the caliber of the contributors to this collaborative project there is a lot of gravity behind everyone’s ‘traditional’ roles. During process did anyone surprise the group, or themselves, by bringing a new talent that had previously been unexplored?

AR: When Dolores came on board she brought a whole other dimension. It was like the missing link we’d been looking for. I would say that was special, the first time we heard Dolores singing over the songs. I would say Dolores was one of the lights of the recording process because you say “Woah,” and everything starts coming together.

CF: Can you describe, in terms of this project, what ‘success’ would look like?

AR: I don’t know, just for it to be well-received I think. All we’re asking is that people enjoy the record. We’re doing some gigs in Europe in September. The album comes out August the 19th, so we’re doing some gigs to promote that in September and then hopefully we’ll do some U.S. gigs as well. Dolores is busy with the Cranberries at the moment. She’s doing the whole festival thing all summer, so who knows maybe come winter we’ll do some gigs over here.

CF: Given the longevity of your career, and the spectrum of ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ experiences you must have had – can you share something of the most grounding moment you’ve had in your career, a moment that was somewhat humbling?

AR: Every time, going back to the Smiths, it was always a humbling experience just to see the appreciation of our music, the love and adoration in the room. That’s always very humbling. Hopefully we’ll get that, and I think we will because Dolores’ fans are very passionate. I know that much, so I think there are more humbling experiences to come. I’m excited about that. I like grounding.

We would like to remark the fact that Rourke himself insists on the date of publication of “Science Agrees” in August 19^th, despite the rumours of a delay until September 9^th.  You can still get a signed copy of the album and download “Curvy”, “Loosen The Noose” and the recently added “Gunfight” on Pledge Music: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/dark-science-agrees

July 7th 2016.

Six hours on the road, a whole day driving and a new dream come true. We had just arrived to a beautiful outdoors area, with a carefully stepped grass, that would be the scenery to our new adventure. Although from a distance, we could enjoy the soundchecks, where four renewed and already passionate The Cranberries played “Desperate Andy”, “Free To Decide”, and “Just My Imagination”. Noel, Fergal and Mike continued with “Animal Instinct” and a breathtaking instrumental version of “Schizophrenic Playboys”.

Once they had finished, we were lucky enough to meet Fergal. We did not want to interrupt his moment of peace and well earned rest for pictures or autographs, so we just said hi, we reminded him of our meeting in Barcelona, with our whole team, and we congratulated him on the soundcheck we had just enjoyed. Like Mike, Noel and Dolores, Fergal was bursting with friendliness and humbleness. We had never seen other musicians more devoted to their fans than The Cranberries are, and this ennobles their souls.

And eventually the so long awaited moment arrived and we got into the open area to enjoy another magical evening by the hand of those who, in our opinions, are and will always be the best band in the music scene. The stage was quite reduced, what made them all share the same space, creating a more intimate, familiar atmosphere than in previous gigs. The setlist did not present great differences, we only missed “Dreaming My Dreams”, but The Cranberries knew how to compensate this absence:

Dolores noticed the host of emotions, feelings, energy and euphoria they were making us feel, and she would go down the stage several times, getting on the acoustic box, so she could be closer to us. It was almost unreal having her just in front, singing to us, dedicating us those so pure smiles of hers, pointing at us, stretching her arms almost touching ours. The Cranberries were committed and happy, the enjoyed playing passionately, there was true interpretation and dramatization… there were the typical fun and games between Noel and Dolores, the knowing smiles between all band members and of course, the interaction with the audience. You could notice their nearness, their understanding and improvisation… it was as if none of us wanted that evening to be over.

                                                                               Picture by: Christophe Rennes

We are sorry we can’t offer pictures (but for the one from soundchecks) or videos, due to the fact that cameras were not allowed as a security measure. From this web, we would like to congratulate the security at Cognac Blues Passions Festival, who made controls at the entrance, with metal detectors included, that guaranteed our security and the band’s. We will share the pictures and videos we find on the net, like those of friends of ours like Christophe or of ours fellow friends at Cranberries World, to whom we would like to thank for all the help provided in France.

Festival Jardins de Pedralbes, June 11th 2016
After four years of silence, this was undoubtedly the most long-awaited concert that Pedralbes Festival had to offer. The “sold out” sign which had been hanging for weeks was the best evidence.

The Cranberries opened the concert with the sound of drums in Analyse. Dressed in sequined blouse, denim skirt and shiny silver shoes, Dolores O’Riordan looked brilliant in every sense, matching the gleam in her eyes and her smile. Even though protocol at the venue didn’t allow fans to approach Dolores, she stretched her hand to her Greek fans as soon as she stepped on stage. The second song was Animal Instinct, or the expression of pure love, during which Dolores showed her sensitivity again when she greeted one of our administrators at Dolores O’Riordan Spain.
The concert continued with their classics from the 90’s, which have been part of our lives, and Wanted, which delighted the audience. People swayed their arms while listening to ballads such as Linger or When You’re Gone until Noel’s acoustic guitar intro in Just My Imagination made the audience definitely jump from their seats.

The band was committed and happy; you could feel the empathy and mutual understanding between the members whose eyes met from time to time, showing smiles and making some funny comments.

Dolores’ distinctive voice still showed her characteristic strength, adapting perfectly to the style of each song: sounding torn in Zombie, almost whispering in Dreaming My Dreams or yodelling in Desperate Andy. Noel took a childlike pleasure, radiating the passion he feels for his work, Mike was always smiling shyly and Fergal played so enthusiastically that he even broke a drumhead. The back-up singer Johanna Cranitch is also worth mentioning, as she synchronized her voice perfectly with Dolores’.

The concert went on with some greatest hits and a couple of songs from their last album,“Roses”: Conduct, a beautiful ballad in which the Hogan brothers played an improvised intro, and Schizophrenic Playboys, a rock song with a touch from the 90’s. Madness broke out in Salvation, which made the audience jump from the chair again – literally – to follow the rhythm and dance to its energetic riffs. And finally, Dolores started playing the hit that made the Cranberries achieve international success, Zombie, whose chorus was sung enthusiastically by everybody in the audience.
The Cranberries reappeared on stage playing the first notes of Empty.

Some people were expecting Dolores’ famous change of outfit, but this time it was Fergal who came back to stage putting on a T-shirt (which he had taken off during the show) just in time to play the bongos. Then we could listen to You And Me. And finally, that energy and connection with the audience became evident again with Promises and Dreams. This last song was special as Dolores received the affection and love of her fans, who gave her a bunch of flowers, paper daffodils and showed her banners while she greeted them again.

The Cranberries gave a grand finale to a night that will be written in stone for all the people who had the pleasure of attending such a show, full of passion for music and commitment to their audience. It was a magical night, because The Cranberries really make magic. Although they have just come back, it seems likely that the door to a future new album is open; in fact, it might have never been closed. Meanwhile, we will continue dreaming our dreams with them.

Our friends from Cranberries World found out the way of listening to all previews of D.A.R.K. so acclaimed upcoming album, “Science Agrees”, expected to see the light next August. As Cranberries World would explain on their website:

“If you wanna listen to the other 4 samples that are not officially online yet, you can force them to appear. Simply change the number of the song in the address bar of your internet browser and let the magic happen, all songs appear!!”

http://cranberriesworld.com/science-agrees-full-album-preview-on-shazam/

“Science Agrees” promises to be a very interesting combination of new sounds and different styles and personalities, where synthesisers acquire a notorious prominence, not without distinctive guitars riffs and the most outstanding voice adapting perfectly to the needs and styles of each of the tracks. A renewal of everything we have seen or heard before but with an essence that sounds familiar in its uniqueness.

Today we have had the pleasure to listen to “Chynamite”, where Dolores incredible voice is exposed with no other vocal accompaniment and that could perfectly fit as a bonus track in “Wake Up And Smell The Coffee”; the catchy “Watch Out”, the psychedelic “Miles Away” and “Underwater”, one of the tracks in which synthesisers and electronic drums acquire the greatest importance.

To these four jewels we should also add the enchanting mixture of melancholy and catchy rhythm in “Steal You Away”, the chaotic originality of “The Moon”, “High Fashion” and that punk turn of “Gunfight”, songs of which we showed you their previews last week. Together with the energetic rhythms of “Curvy” and the psychedelic delicacy of “Loosen The Noose”, we have no doubts that we are talking of an absolute masterpiece when talking about “Science Agrees”.

Source: Cranberries World and Shazam

Not long ago we were dreaming of the possibility of having a preview of all tracks of “Science Agrees”, so that the waiting until August would seem easier to all of us. D.A.R.K. seems to have read our minds and Shazam has granted us our wish.

The first preview to appear was Steal You Away.

http://www.shazam.com/es/track/313071025/steal-you-away

This song was actually recorded in 2012. The psychedelic riffs, the melancholic tune of the chorus and the addition of the outstanding quality of Dolores’ vocals cause such an impression that those barely 30 seconds of the preview were enough to bring the tears in our eyes, and made this song earn the title of the fans’ great favourite.

Last week we were surprised by The Moon.

http://www.shazam.com/es/track/313071033/the-moon

This song is the band’s favourite, since somehow it captures the three members’ personalities, and its chaotic structure is part of its uniqueness.

Today two new amazing tracks see the light:

High Fashion, whose lyrics deal with drug addiction and love, the band advanced us on their official site’s bio:

http://www.shazam.com/es/track/313071027/high-fashion

And the loss and faith and dissatisfaction in Gunfight, a song with a Punk touch that promises to be one of the album’s greatest tracks.

http://www.shazam.com/es/track/313071023/gunfight

Remember you can already enjoy the full version of “Curvy” and “Loosen The Noose” on the band’s official youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYBmwNEQqKgA5y4a8Kd8EgQ
We are absolutely certain that you are LOVING what you are listening to! If you pre-order this masterpiece album on Pledge Music now, you can get your copy signed by the band members!!! http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/dark-science-agrees

Rehearsals have started!

The Cranberries, now with Dolores, are in Chamber Orchestra studio (Limerick) rehearsing for their upcoming European summer tour, which will cover five European countries (Poland, Switzerland, France, Spain and Netherlands) and Mexico.

As you all know, D.A.R.K. were forced to postpone their debut tour, which was due to start on May 13^th in Limerick, and that would have kept going visiting several European countries during the second fortnight of May.

Many fans lost their money and their dreams got broken. Fortunately, when it’s Dolores involved, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel and a dreamlike opportunity came for those who were going to attend the show in Limerick. Dolores, loving and understanding as always, heard of it and invited them to attend The Cranberries rehearsals!! Thanks to Cranberries World and to Litsa, one of our friends who were there, we have known D.A.R.K.’s postponement was due to problems with visa for their lead guitarist. Congratulations girls, and massive thanks to Dolores, who keeps demonstrating that it is impossible to enumerate the infinite reasons why she deserves all our admiration, love, support and respect.

Remember you have the opportunity to enjoy the summer of your life seeing both The Cranberries and D.A.R.K. in their debut tour. It’s a UNIQUE opportunity!! Don’t miss it out!!!
http://doloresoriordanspain.com/calendores/

We would also like to remind you that there is an initiative for the concert in Jardins de Pedralbes (Barcelona), please keep in touch with us and tell us where you’ll be sitting, we will soon give you some details about it!

These are the kind of news you don’t expect to hear and not to have to transmit, but our fears have been confirmed.

The album debut by D.A.R.K. “Science Agrees” is to be postponed until August (August 20^th on Amazon and iTunes for Europe; September 23^rd in America) and the tour will be postponed for September, due to last-minute unavailability of their lead guitarist, as they have said in their official site (www.darkofficial.com). The new dates for the concerts will be announced on its official website on Monday. The tickets that you bought will be fully valid for the new dates and those who cannot attend new dates, will get their money refunded.

From Dolores O’Riordan Spain, we want to transmit our apologies and support to all the fans and we beseech you not to blame the group for this. Like you, we have also lost our money and dreams, a lot of dreams, but we must understand that this kind of unexpected last minute unforeseen sometimes happen, and decisions that are not pleasant and that are beyond the reach even of those who hit the stage sometimes have to be taken. Those who have been lucky enough to meet Dolores know that she is a mommy to her fans, she loves us much, and you can imagine how depressed and full of remorse she must be feeling, like his fellow band members Olé Koretsky and Andy Rourke. We have to support them and make them see that it was not their fault and that everything’s all right. If we have waited for two years to enjoy the boundless talent of these three music professionals, what do a few months more suppose to us?

We hope to see you all on tour in September. For any questions you have or anything you need, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will do our best to help.

Thank you.

Dolores O’Riordan Spain

From Way Out Radio we have found this interesting interview with Andy Rourke and Olé Koretsky. They talk about how unexpectedly D.A.R.K was created and developed, their chaotic way of working for their perfect harmony and their impressions on the idea of publishing a new album, their comeback on tour and their own work.

AN INTERVIEW WITH ANDY ROURKE, THE SMITHS

Remember “Science Agrees” is out on May 27th, and you can now preorder it from Pledge in both EP and LP formats, and signed by the band members. Tourdates and links to get tickets are already available in our “Calendolores” section.

April 8^th 2016

After 4 years of absence, The Cranberries have rewarded Spain with a concert that will be part of their so much expected reunion tour.

The magical evening will be the opening concert of Festival de Pedralbes in Barcelona, on Saturday 11^th June, at 10pm. Tickets will be on sale next Monday, April 11^th at 10.00am in the official website of the festival.

http://www.festivalpedralbes.com/entrades/

Prices will range from 128 and 16 euro, so that every fan of The Cranberries will be able to feel, enjoy and live through the magic of their incredible live performance in an evening that will be remembered as the concert of the year. With only 16 euro you can live this unique and unforgettable experience.
In this map we will show you the distribution of the different areas and an estimation of the different prices depending on them:

Light blue area: Premium tickets, they conform the first three rows, the closest to the stage. With 128 euro you can live the dream of seeing them perform a few feet away.
Orange and lime green areas: Central Platea, whose first rows are quite close from the stage. The whole platea enjoys an excellent visibility due to the stepped position of the rows, with different separation in between. Prices may be around 80 euro.
Sides: They are divided into areas (red, yellow, dark green and light green) with different prices, cheaper than central platea. They have a good visibility, although those seats located at the very end of the side might have a more reduced visibility due to the natural vegetation of the place. We would recommend you to visit the gallery of the festival in order to get the image into your head.
Pink area: It is the balconies. Due to their height, they offer a complete image of the stage. Tickets are cheaper than in platea central, but they may not be cheaper than the side areas.
Grey area: This is the cheapest one, but you must be aware of the fact that, due to the natural vegetation, visibility might be considerably reduced. Again, we would recommend you to visit the gallery of the Festival in order to see the real picture.
Remember: Tickets get on sale next April 11^th at 10.00 am at the official site of Festival de Pedralbes: http://www.festivalpedralbes.com/entrades/

EUROPEAN TOUR WITH D.A.R.K.

May 13 – Limerick, Ireland. Dolan’s Warehouse. Buy tickets at: http://www.darkofficial.com/site/gigs

May 16 –  Dublin, Ireland. Whelan’s. Buy tickets at: http://www.darkofficial.com/site/gigs

May 18 – London, UK. Bush Hall. Buy tickets at: http://www.darkofficial.com/site/gigs

May 20 –  Paris, France. Divan du Monde. Buy tickets at: http://www.darkofficial.com/site/gigs

May 23 – Milan, Italy. Tunnel Club. Buy tickets at: http://www.darkofficial.com/site/gigs

May 24 – Berlin, Germany. Lido. Buy tickets at: http://www.darkofficial.com/site/gigs

May 26 – Madrid, Spain. Sala Caracol. Buy tickets at: http://www.doctormusic.com/concierto-dark-madrid

EUROPEAN TOUR WITH THE CRANBERRIES

June 3 – Lublin, Poland. Arenie Lublin. Buy tickets at: http://www.mosir.lublin.pl/obiekty/arena-lublin/aktualnosci/kultura/koncert-the-cranberriesna-arenie-lublin
June 9 – Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Festi’Neuch. Buy tickets at: http://festineuch.ch/
July 1 – Nort-sur-Erdre, France. La Nuit de l’Erdre. Buy tickets at: http://www.lanuitdelerdre.fr/
July 7 – Cognac, France. Festival Cognac Blues Passions: Buy tickets at: http://bluespassions.com/en/
July 9 – Weert, Netherlands. Bospop Festival. Buy tickets at: http://www.bospop.nl/
August 12 – Colmar, France. La Foire aux Vins D’Alsace. Buy tickets at: http://www.foire-colmar.com/
August 13 – Landerneau, France. Fête du bruit dans Landerneau. Buy tickets at: http://festival-fetedubruit.com/