US electro-industrial/synth-pop act Assemblage 23 has presented the first single, "Tolerate", from its upcoming album, Null, due on 7 November via Metropolis Records.
"The song is about the increasingly common situation of having to cut people out of your life because they hold harmful beliefs", explains Assemblage 23's mastermind, Tom Shear. "Even tolerant people have a line that, once crossed, causes them to have to react this way. It is a topical portrait of our current political climate and the fallout it can have in our personal lives."
"Tolerate" is typical of Shear's oeuvre in that what has separated Assemblage 23 from most other musically comparable acts from the outset has been the deeply personal and relatable manner of his song lyrics. Often broaching difficult subjects such as suicide and depression, he has gained a significant worldwide following and continues to perform around the globe.
Null is the tenth album by Assemblage 23, but the first since 2020's Mourn. It will be pre-promoted with a UK tour in October, immediately followed by a one-off show in Germany (see below). Link
* Assemblage 23 - UK tour:
15 October - BRISTOL (Exchange)
16 October - MANCHESTER (Rebellion)
17 October - GLASGOW (Ivory Blacks)
18 October - SHEFFIELD (Corporation)
19 October - LONDON (The Dome)
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20 October - OBERHAUSEN (Kulttempel)

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"Goth people want to have fun sometimes too. I guess if your listening time is 99% dark, sad songs or evil black metal songs, sometimes you want 1% joy, and here I come." - Franck Hueso
"It's my kind of duty to provoke people and to make sure they feel something — to dance, cry, do whatever they feel. I do motivate them, because that's my purpose." - Chris Corner
"The speech that they hate is my speech, but my speech is not a hate speech. What can you do? You can just mirror/reflect them - hopefully, they will see how grotesque..." - Dero Goi
"We only make an album when we feel genuinely inspired. You can't just say, "OK, I'm going to record a new album", because without inspiration, it would be boring." - Gregor Mackintosh

