An Audience With Rusty Egan Ft Erik Stein + The Rude Awakening
Schedule
Wed May 29 2024 at 07:00 pm to 11:00 pm
Location
The Victoria, Birmingham | Birmingham, EN
The Seventh Wave presentsAn Audience With Rusty Egan {Blitz Club/Visage} Featuring Erik Stein [Cult With No Name]
Supported by The Rude Awakening
Rusty Egan is one of the most colourful characters to have emerged from the late 1970s New Wave and 1980s New Romantic movements - and he is still going strong today. The son of musical parents who ran an Irish showband, as a teenager Rusty chose to become a drummer. Soon afterwards he joined former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock in the Rich Kids, fronted by Midge Ure.
This led to numerous pioneering projects ranging from introducing young Britain to electronic music to playing a key role in the nightlife of successive generations of fashionable youth.
As a founder and DJ at the Blitz club in 1979 Egan found himself at the epicentre of what soon became known as the New Romantic movement. Combining cutting edge synth music with art school fashion and style, the Blitz championed acts like Kraftwerk and Yellow Magic Orchestra as well as such icons as David Bowie, Brian Eno and Bryan Ferry. Before long Rusty put together his own band, Visage, centred around his night-clubbing partner Steve Strange and Midge Ure.
As the Blitz club grew in popularity, Egan began to be recognised as a central figure in London's nightlife. In 1982, he and Strange opened up the Camden Palace nightclub in London, where he continued to spread and influence the development of electronica in the UK. At the same time, he moved into the realms of the music industry by making the music instead of playing it, through his record label and publishing company Metropolis, which signed Soft Cell and Space, and Soho’s famous Trident Studios where Rusty re-mixed Madonna’s first record “Everybody”.
Further highlights of Rusty’s amazing career include DJ-ing at the Isle of Wight festival in 2008. The following year Rusty won a lifetime achievement trophy at the London Club and Bar Awards. More recently, he released his first solo album, “Welcome To The Dancefloor” featuring guest appearances from Midge Ure, Tony Hadley and Peter Hook. In March 2021 Rusty was featured in a Sky Arts documentary about The Blitz and in August 2021 Rusty and his band “Rusty Egan Presents” headlined W-Fest in Ostend, playing both the Visage albums live.
Rusty will be talking about music new and old, play some of his new songs and talk about his forthcoming projects/releases.
In the synth pop sphere, The Rude Awakening is a thrilling duo crafting modern electronic soundscapes that reverberate with infectious energy. Formed by Johnny Normal and Bridget Gray, this UK-based act offers an entirely original sound, infusing synth-driven pop music with a gritty edge.
Their sonic concoction blends various synths, compelling rhythm tracks and acidic lyricism, creating a sound that’s completely their own. Over the past five years, they’ve won over audiences with their unique approach, exploring themes of relationships, taboos and popular culture.
Beyond their roles as performers, Johnny Normal and Bridget Gray emerge as prolific producers and remixers, leaving their creative imprint on acts like B-Movie, Peter Godwin, Birmingham Electric and Mechanical Cabaret. The duo’s versatility and innovation were showcased on the album 6122 – A Tribute to Andrew Fletcher, where their cover of “Should Be Higher” hit the #2 spot on the German Official Album Charts.