BLAST FROM THE PAST: AT THE DRIVE IN

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was 17 years ago that 5 guys from El Paso, Texas got together to create something truly remarkable. At The Drive-In couldn’t have imagined the effect their music would have of thousands of young people in every corner of the world with their raw and innovative creation of the post-hardcore genre we know today.

Formed by guitarist Jim Ward and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala the band would go on to stamp their mark and cement their place amongst some of the world’s most influential artists. Combining three full-length studio albums with solid touring which took the bands prolific and often unpredictable live shows to the masses.

The bands label, Transgressive Records have taken it upon themselves to announce their first re-release campaign in the label’s nine-year history. To coincide with the ever popularRecord Store Day; At The Drive-In’s debut album ‘Acrobatic Tenement’ (25th March) and their critically acclaimed final masterpiece ‘Relationship of Command’ (22th April) are to be re-released on a run of limited edition coloured vinyl and also on CD and digital platforms.

This will be the first time that ‘Acrobatic Tenement’ has been made available on vinyl and ‘Relationship of Command’ is notoriously tricky to get hold of so these re-releases are sure to be must-haves for die-hard fans of the bands; which some critics even liken to the idolised worshiping of The Smiths.

At The Drive-In’s live performances set them apart from emerging bands. They displayed an unshackled energy and passion for the music that seemed to soak into audiences wherever they played. Similarly; the band’s television performances became iconic due to the chance of one of Cedric’s famous speeches; often containing sensitive content.

Prior to the bands break-up in 2001 they performed at the Big Day Out festival in Australia, where tensions between the band and the crowd reached its height with the set being cut half way through due to the bands refusal to play while moshing and “slam-dancing” was putting crowd members at risk.

Following this, the band cancelled remaining dates of their final tour and announced they would be going on an “indefinite hiatus”. The break-up went on to birth Grammy award winning prog-rockers; The Mars Volta (Cedric Bixler and Omar Rodriguez) and post-hardcore outfit; Sparta (Jim Ward, Paul Hinijos and Tony Hajjar).

At The Drive-In announced a series of reunion gigs in January of last year, posting a message on the bands Facebook band simply stating “THIS STATION IS NOW OPERATIONAL!” The band went on to perform at the Reading and Leeds festival but announced they had no plans to record any fresh material.

Jim Ward of the band had this to say in light of the upcoming re-releases:

“It was interesting to revisit the recordings that bookended the first chapters of our band. The earnest and pure excitement of the beginning and the level of craftsmanship we achieved by Relationship of Command leaves me nothing but proud. I am happy these records have found their way to continue to feel new as people discover music they love and embrace our work.”

These re-releases are sure to re-light the fire in the hearts of At The Drive-In fans and inject a bit of nostalgia into the band themselves; who knows, you could be hearing the likesof; One Armed Scissor, Pattern Against User and Cosmonaut at a festival near you this summer…Here’s to hoping!

If you’ve got your sights set on a coloured vinyl copy of either album you’ll have to be pretty sharpish; a limited stock of both will be made available.

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