Goth punks Salem have announced a lengthy UK tour throughout October. The band will hit the road for 19-dates, aiming to support the smaller venues that have struggled during the industry Covid shutdown.
The band featuring Creeper frontman Will Gould, alongside best friend Matt Reynolds, have also planned a Halloween Spooktacular for when they return to their hometown of Southampton as part of the tour.
Explaining the decision to play these smaller venues, Gould said: “You know that every time you look at tours and people go, ‘That’s shit, you’re not playing near me in this place.’ People can’t really say that this time.
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“Smaller venues have been really, really struggling,” he continues. “The Joiners [Southampton] is obviously my local where I grew up, I’m sure you have one for you that was your venue. And watching those venues struggle and some closing down, I’ve been really irate about it. It’s been really bothering me. I’ve had loads of argument with family members and things about the politics of whether the government is supporting the arts, and I just decided, ‘Well, we can help support them by doing a tour of just those places.’”
While Creeper tend to sell out thousand capacity venues, Gould admits he has missed playing more intimate shows: “One of the venues is at a 100-cap room, and I haven’t got to do that sort of thing in a long, long time,” he says. “Obviously, before Creeper I was playing to nobody in 100-cap venues. I haven’t been back and done that sort of thing and ages. So, it’s gonna be really, really, really fun to go in everywhere.”
Salem will also release their second EP, Salem II, this Friday (May 7) via Roadrunner, following on from their first self-titled outing in 2020. Draculads, the first single from the forthcoming record, was released earlier this month.
The full dates for the tour can be found below:
Oct 12: Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach
Oct 13: Birmingham Asylum 2
Oct 14: Nottingham Rescue Rooms
Oct 15: Oxford The Bullingdon
Oct 16: Swindon The Vic
Oct 17: Frome Cheese and Grain
Oct 18: Bristol Exchange
Oct 21: Leeds The Key Club
Oct 22: Huddersfield The Parish
Oct 24: Newcastle Think Tank Underground
Oct 25: Glasgow Stereo
Oct 26: Sheffield Sidney and Matilda
Oct 27: Manchester The Deaf Institute
Oct 28: Guildford Boileroom
Oct 29: Tunbridge Wells Forum
Oct 30: London The Dome
Oct 31: Southampton The Joiners
