MJ Hibbett Tour

Mark and the Validators hit Nottingham, Hull, Wakefield, Leeds, Leicester, London and Bristol in October.

MJ Hibbett & The Validators are embarking on a national tour this
Autumn to celebrate the huge critical success of their new album "This Is Not A Library".



The album was released in July and received uniformly glowing reviews.
Rolling Stone said "Hilarious, eartbreaking and chock-a-block with
brass, This Is Not a Library is 2003's best State of the Nation album, and as
such is currently climbing towards the top of our Records of the Year list".
Everett True, in Careless Talk Costs Lives, called it "Literate, sassy
human pop music" whilst Logo Magazine, said "this is in a field all its own.
Like it? Love it!". Steve Lamacq loved the album so much he played tracks almost every day on his Radio 6 lunchtime show, and invited MJ in for a live session as the "Grand Finale" to his 2 week residency, whilst Kooba
Radio made the band "Artists Of The Month", and played almost every song from the album before climaxing with another live session and interview.



With the acclaim came demands for a chance to see the band in action,
and so The Validators have put together a tour which will gradually work it's
way around the country this Autumn. Audience members can expect a set of
songs that pack a powerful emotional punch, dealing with the kind of issues
other bands are too unimaginative to talk about, delivered with wit, charm,
and, as L2SB magazine put it, "intelligent lyrics that warm the cockles of your heart and have you thirsting for a pint of mild."



These lyrics cover topics such as rail privatisation, pub regulars, men's health issues, and the joys of ignoring fashion, all discussed against a backdrop of wild musical invention. This is provided by the Validators, a
virtual "super group", featuring members of such indie legends as
Prolapse, White Town, Lazarus Clamp and Frankie Machine. The fun they had making this record is evident throughout, giving it a "charming joyousness that sets it apart from the all-too-earnest singer-songwriters that clutter the field", according to Brighton's Vanity Project magazine.



The CD comes with a mass of multimedia extras, including lyrics, extensive
sleevenotes, over an hour of additional music, photographs, and a map showing where each song was written. Fans can even bypass the shops altogether and buy it direct from www.mjhibbett.com for a knockdown price of £10. Everyone who's heard it will agree with Tennessee's FAC193.com that
it's "a ray of sunshine blasting through overly serious indie pop", and
the band are hoping that the tour will give even more people a chance to
enjoy it for themselves.



Make sure you catch them at:

• Nottingham Social (29th Sept)


• Hull Adelphi (12th Oct)


• Wakefield Escobar (15th)


• The Vine, Leeds (16th)


• Leicester Lamplighters (20th)


• Bar Lorca, Brixton (24th)


• Cube Cinema, Bristol (30th)

pauly :: 2003 :: Comment / reply