Peter Gabriel has released a new single, The Court (Dark-Side Mix). The release of the single coincides with this month's full-moon, just as the release last month of Panopticom coincided with January's. Both tracks feature on the former Genesis man's upcoming album i/o, although no release date has been announced yet.
The Court was recorded at Gabriel's Real World Studios in Bath, Wiltshire, and at The Beehive in London, and features contributions from Brian Eno and long-time associates Tony Levin (bass), David Rhodes (guitar) and Manu Katché (drums), plus backing vocals from Gabriel’s daughter Melanie. The Dark-Side mix was completed by Tchad Blake, multiple Grammy Awards winner with Sheryl Crow, Suzanne Vega and The Black Keys.
"I had this idea for ‘the court will rise’ chorus, so it became a free-form, impressionistic lyric that connected to justice, but there’s a sense of urgency there." says Gabriel. "A lot of life is a struggle between order and chaos and in some senses the justice or legal system is something that we impose to try and bring some element of order to the chaos.
"That’s often abused, it’s often unfair and discriminatory but at the same time it’s probably an essential part of a civilised society. But we do need to think sometimes about how that is actually realised and employed."
The Court was inspired by the work of Namati, an NGO who advocate for social and environmental justice around the world, working with local expertise to protect common lands, enforce environmental law, and to secure basic rights to healthcare and citizenship.
"I recommend you check them out,’ says Gabriel. ‘They do a brilliant job assembling teams around the world to help with different issues."
Like Panopticom, The Court will be available in different forms, with other mixes to come from Mark ‘Spike’ Stent (Bright-Side Mix) and Hans-Martin Buff (Atmos In-Side Mix).
And, like Panopticom, The Court comes with an accompanying piece of art. This time it's taken from visual artist and sculptor Tim Shaw's Lifting The Curse, a response to the curse laid on London's Royal Academy of Art by collaborative duo Gilbert & George, who resigned from the Academy in 2020 after plans to exhibit their work were turned down.
"Tim Shaw is a great artist whose work is powerful, political and shamanistic." says Gabriel. "He has often dealt with tough themes such as war and torture. He grew up in Belfast so experienced the fear and reality of seeing violence around him, which I am sure must have made a deep impression.
"This particular image has an unusual story attached, but I just responded to the photograph of this very strange figure that was being ritualistically burnt. The story behind it, I only discovered afterwards."
Gabriel will tour Europe later this year, while dates in North America will be announced shortly. Full details below.
Peter Gabriel i/o Tour – Europe 2023
May 18: Krakow Tauron Arena, Poland
May 20: Verona Arena, Italy
May 21: Milan Mediolanum Arena, Italy
May 23: Paris AccorHotels Arena, France
May 24: Lille Stade Pierre-Mauroy, France
May 26: Berlin Waldbuehne, Germany
May 28: Munich Koenigsplatz, Germany
May 30: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark
May 31: Stockholm Avicii Arena, Sweden
Jun 02: Bergen Koengen, Norway
Jun 05: Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, Netherlands
Jun 06: Antwerp Sportpaleis, Belgium
Jun 08: Zurich Hallenstadion, Switzerland
Jun 10: Cologne Lanxess Arena, Germany
Jun 12: Hamburg Barclays Arena, Germany
Jun 13: Frankfurt Festhalle, Germany
Jun 15: Bordeaux Arkea Arena, France
Jun 17: Birmingham Utilita Arena, UK
Jun 19: London The O2, UK
Jun 22: Glasgow OVO Hydro, UK
Jun 23: Manchester AO Arena, UK
Jun 25: Dublin 3Arena, Ireland
