Art-rock group Public Service Broadcasting have announced their fifth studio album, The Last Flight, due for release on the 4th of October. The record concerns the final voyage of America’s pioneering female “aviatrix” Amelia Earhart who, in 1937, was attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the globe.
The band have shared the album’s first single ‘Electra’, a song of soaring machine-funk and a paean to Earhart’s aircraft. Guitarist J. Willgoose Esq. said: “The song is about Amelia Earhart’s plane., the marvellously named Electra. To match the name, vibrancy and the excitement of the aircraft, the track is full of pulsing electronics and interlocking, percussive melody lines, plus pace.”
The Last Flight is full of life-force, evoking adventure, speed and freedom as well as the psychological depths of a unique and admirable individual. The album’s guests include Carl Broemel (My Morning Jacket) on pedal steel and Berlin voices Andreya Casablanca and EERA, who both appeared on Public Service Broadcasting’s 2021 album Bright Magic.
J. Willgoose Esq. said: “I wanted to do a woman-focused story, because most of the archive we have access to is overwhelmingly male. I was initially drawn in by Earhart’s final flight, rather than the successes that she had, but the more I read the more I became fascinated by her. Her bravery and her aeronautical achievements were extraordinary, but her philosophy and the dignity that she had… she was an outstanding person.”
Public Service Broadcasting have announced an instore / outstore tour for the album’s release week in early October, with tickets and details available here. They will open for the Manic Street Preachers at Trentham Live in August before embarking on a full UK and European tour in October and November. Shows at Manchester Albert Hall, Bristol Beacon and Roundhouse in London have already sold out, with the tour also featuring performances in Glasgow, Leeds, Gateshead, Nottingham, Cardiff, Brighton and Belfast. European dates include visits to Ireland, Germany, Denmark, Italy and Spain. Full tour dates and tickets can be found here.
The Last Flight is out on 4 October via SO Recordings. Pre-order here.
