Front Line Assembly play a London date on 24th August as part of a summer European tour. Masterminded by vocalist/musician Bill Leeb, the Vancouver, Canada based group last played in the capital in March 2016. 

Leeb began Front Line Assembly in 1986, releasing several albums between 1988-92 that saw his group acknowledged as electronic/industrial/EBM scene heavyweights alongside Front 242, Nitzer Ebb and Skinny Puppy (Leeb had been a member of Skinny Puppy prior to forming FLA). Aided by music writing partner Michael Balch, the 4th FLA studio album, ‘Gashed Senses & Crossfire’ (1989), was promoted with debut European and US tours that saw the duo accompanied on stage by teenager Rhys Fulber. Balch left the group later that same year to join Ministry and Revolting Cocks, with Fulber stepping up to co-create the classic ‘Caustic Grip’ and ’Tactical Neural Implant’ albums in 1990 and 1992.

The next two FLA records, ‘Millennium’ and ‘Hard Wired’, saw the group flirt with industrial metal sounds in tandem with their trademark electronics, while Fulber also became a go-to producer for many guitar based rock and metal acts. Replaced by Chris Peterson in 1997 for the next three albums, he rejoined the group in 2003 having in the meantime enjoyed a worldwide hit single with Leeb via their ethno-ambient side-project Delerium. The song‘Silence’ (feat. Sarah McLachlan) from their 1997 album ‘Karma’ had been remixed by Tiësto, Airscape and Fade and was a huge club record in 1999-2000, eventually charting at no. 3 in the UK in October 2000. It is widely acknowledged as a classic dance record.

Fulber left the group again in 2005 to concentrate on his own Conjure One project in tandem with production work, while Leeb was by now making new FLA music with Jeremy Inkel and Jared Slingerland (plus occasional assistance from Chris Peterson).

Their most recent album, ‘Echogenetic’, was released in 2013 and is seen by many as the best FLA record since the halcyon days of the early 90’s. Incorporating elements of glitch and dubstep into their trademark cinematic and club-oriented sonic DNA, they created a potent new hybrid that came across as an upgraded version of their most successful pure electronic releases and blurred the boundary between electronic industrial and what is generally perceived as modern electronica.     

Fulber rejoined FLA for the group’s 2016 tour dates and is currently involved in the recording of a brand new FLA studio record. The line-up for the upcoming tour is: Bill Leeb / Rhys Fulber / Jeremy Inkel / Jason Bazinet