The Archive

***STOP PRESS*** To celebrate our last gig of the year (and the first gig after the end of the world) we have decided to dispense with the support act at Rock City, Nottingham and give you more NMA of the semi-acoustic kind with Justin and Dean playing a 40 minute set before the main band.

Please note that this is an early show: 18.30 doors, 19.15 JS & DW, 20.15 NMA. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS SHOW IS VERY NEAR TO SELLING OUT SO PLEASE ORDER YOUR TICKETS AS SOON AS TO AVOID DISAPPIONTMENT!

The other dates in December are:

For more information and links click HERE.

PLEASE NOTE: After ordering any of the current pre-order items (Vengeance - The Whole Story, Poster, Black Dahlia CD etc), you may notice that the status update changes to "shipped". Please be aware that this does not mean they have been shipped earlier than the advertised date, but that the order has been processed and will be shipped at the later date. This is due to the way the online shop processes orders and does not mean that your order has been lost in the strange and beguiling universe that is the postal system.

It is with great sadness that we have to report the death of Scott Johnson due to a stage collapsing in Toronto, Canada resulting in several injuries and one casualty. Unfortunately Scott was on stage as Radiohead's drum tech when the stage collapsed. Loved by bands and crews, and a personal friend of Michael Dean, he will be sadly missed.

Philip Selway from Radiohead released the following statement:

"We have all been shattered by the loss of Scott Johnson, our friend and colleague. He was a lovely man, always positive, supportive and funny; a highly skilled and valued member of our great road crew. We will miss him very much. Our thoughts and love are with Scott's family and all those close to him."

The accident happened an hour before the gates were set to open at Downsview Park in Toronto. The sold-out show was scheduled as the final date in Radiohead's North American Tour.

A service on Thursday, July 5, will be held at 11am at St George’s Parish Church, Doncaster, followed by a private interment ceremony at Hickleton. Our love and prayers are with his family at this tragic time.

Summertime is upon us which can only mean the return of the festival season and rain.

Rock La Roca (DE)
25 years after their first appearance at the first Bizzare Festival (with Iggy Pop, Siouxsie And The Bandshees, and Julian Cope) New Model Army will return to the Loreley Open Air Stage at the new Rock La Roca Festival on 28th July 2012. The final line-up is nearing completion with Gogol Bordello, Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub, Triggerfinger, And Also The Trees, and Turbonegro having been announced. Tickets are available at €45 (plus booking fee) and can be bought from:

Bonnticket.de

Beautiful Days (UK)
NMA are also set to play the Beautiful Days Festival at Escot Park, Devon on 18th August 2012. Celebrating it's tenth year the acts already confirmed include The Levellers, The Waterboys, Billy Bragg (celebrating Woody Guthrie's 100th birthday), Public Image Limited, Ian Anderson (playing Thick As A Brick), King Blues, and Dreadzone. For more information and tickets etc. go to HERE.

Festival Lez Arts Scéniques (FR)
This sounds like a fun festival with bands such as Ministry, Suicidal Tendencies as well as NMA appearing on the 27th July. Info and tickets from HERE.

Peninsula Festival (RO)
This one has just been added. More details to come. Wesite HERE.

Mera Luna (DE)
NMA will be playing on the 12th August. More details from the Mera Luna website HERE. Tickets from HERE.

26/08/12 Once again we would like to extend our gratitude to everyone for their efforts in spreading the news about the instruments and various other items stolen from our van outside the Holiday Inn Express after the Bilston show at the beginning of June. Unfortunately there have been no new developments on the recovery of the stolen items.

It would seem that the word spread around the world with the aid of newspapers, radio and online social media within a matter for hours.We were once again humbled by the many offers of loaned instruments to tide us over from bands and musicians everywhere just as we were after the studio fire. Special thanks goes out to Utopian Love Revival, Goldblade and everyone involved with Strummercamp who gave us equipment, help and encouragement so we could play our set at the festival.

Unfortunately we have had no news on the stolen items as yet and the insurance claim is on going. We would be grateful if everyone could stay on the look out for any of the items on the list:

Gibson Les Paul Custom - red (serial number 2051429)
Gibson Les Paul Standard - black (serial number 90362428)
Epiphone Riviera - red with tremelo arm (serial number R97C0572)
Lowden 025 acoustic guitar with pick-up (serial number 5131)
Lowden 025 acoustic guitar with pick-up (serial number 12288)
Gibson SG - black (serial number 8176566)
Fender Precision bass - black

All these items were in new or nearly new Hiscox guitar cases

Evolution Keyboard (serial number MK361C - 222941)
Ampeg SVT 3 amplifier head
Fender Blues Junior guitar combo (serial number B-181446) USA model 110volts.
Custom built pedalboard containing three way control unit for Blackstar combo amplifier, 2 x Boss digital delays, tremelo and tuner pedals and a Cry-baby wah pedal
Boss pedalboard containing Boss digital delay, bass overdrive, chorus, compression, and tuner pedals
Gator 2U case containing AKG guitar radio receiver (serial number AK3254-001272)

All these items were in new or nearly new cases

Heavy multi-guitar rack
Flight case containing tools for guitar repairs
Bag containing microphone stands/drum loom
Bag containing guitar cables, looms, power supplies, plectrums, capos, two guitar radio transmitters

If you have any information please call the Police Station (crime number 20WS/91324T/12 -
Walsall Police Station 0345 1135000) or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We all really enjoyed our first gig with new bass player Ceri Monger (02/06/12). Unfortunately, our van, parked outside the Holiday Inn Express, Walsall, was broken into over night and most of the band's guitars and small items were stolen.

We would like to thank all the people and bands who lent us equipment in order for us to play the Strummercamp Festival Sunday night. The stolen eqipment includes both Marshall's Gibson Les Pauls and Justin's two Lowdens that had previously survived the fire(!). We would be very grateful for any help in retrieving this equipment - the full list is:

Gibson Les Paul Custom - red (serial number 2051429)
Gibson Les Paul Standard - black (serial number 90362428)
Epiphone Riviera - red with tremelo arm (serial number R97C0572)
Lowden 025 acoustic guitar with pick-up (serial number 5131)
Lowden 025 acoustic guitar with pick-up (serial number 12288)
Gibson SG - black (serial number 8176566)
Fender Precision bass - black

All these items were in new or nearly new Hiscox guitar cases

Evolution Keyboard (serial number MK361C - 222941)
Ampeg SVT 3 amplifier head
Fender Blues Junior guitar combo (serial number B-181446) USA model 110volts.
Custom built pedalboard containing three way control unit for Blackstar combo amplifier, 2 x Boss digital delays, tremelo and tuner pedals and a Cry-baby wah pedal
Boss pedalboard containing Boss digital delay, bass overdrive, chorus, compression, and tuner pedals
Gator 2U case containing AKG guitar radio receiver (serial number AK3254-001272)

All these items were in new or nearly new cases

Heavy multi-guitar rack
Flight case containing tools for guitar repairs
Bag containing microphone stands/drum loom
Bag containing guitar cables, looms, power supplies, plectrums, capos, two guitar radio transmitters

If you have any information please call the Police Station (crime number 20WS/91324T/12 -
Walsall Police Station 0345 1135000) or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

After receiving nearly eighty applications and auditioning more than twenty people from several different countries,

we are very pleased indeed to welcome our new bass-player (and multi-instrumentalist) Ceri Monger. Ceri was brought up in a musical family in his native Essex, has been playing folk, metal and rock from a very early age and is familiar with all things NMA.

Michael Dean has entered into a sponsorship deal with EcHo Custom Drums from Manchester.

Based in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, EcHo is the father and son team of Dave Quinn Sr and Jr.

EcHo  makes snare drums using brass, aluminium, carbon steel and copper - and complete kits from aluminium. The snares are hand-made, using the highest certified metals, with punched holes, hand-spun bearing edges and pressed (crimped) snare beds. Each shell has a single vertical welded seam. There is an almost limitless array of finishes including polished, brushed or raw shells, powder coating, spray painting, clear lacquering and even vinyl wraps. Hardware can be plated in chrome, black or 24 carat gold, while shells may be beaded, hammered or engraved.

Michael's custom snare's are a 14 x 7 brass hand hammered snare and a 12 x 7 aluminium in flame red, both specifically tailored to Michael's and NMA's sound.

"These UK-made drums all arrived perfectly tuned - and they sounded to die for." Rhythm Magazine
"It's hard to see how EcHo can improve on this first collection of metal shell snares, which are superb in every department." Rhythm Magazine

On the band's visit to South Africa in 2004 Justin acquired a small primitive marimba made from bits of wood resting on bits of old car tyres - not much bigger than a foot in length and with a slightly random selection of notes. It was this instrument that was played by Michael Dean on 'Red Earth' on the Carnival album (and later sampled so Dean could play it live). Unfortunately, along with a lot of other small but loved items, this marimba was destroyed in the fire. We don't really have the space for a large 'proper' marimba and would actually prefer the nature of something a bit more primitive. We've looked around Ebay and various Google searches but haven't come up with anything. Is there any chance that anyone in South Africa or elsewhere could help us?

On Christmas Eve a fire started in the furniture outlet next door to The Mill in Bradford and directly below where we have our studio, rehearsal and storage facility. At one point one of the ten fire crews involved was fighting the blaze from inside our studio. They were eventually able to put out the fire but not before extensive damage to our room, including a roof collapse. The photos below and video show what greeted us when we finally gained access 48 hours after the fire.

UPDATE 30.12.11

We have lost our entire studio set-up - desk, microphones, recording gear etc - and many irreplaceable instruments including Michael's Tama and vintage Gretsch kits and Robert's priceless old Slingerland. Gone is Michael's entire snare drum collection, eight guitars including a Les Paul, the Phew that Dean plays live and a vintage Epiphone acoustic, a 1960s C3 Hammond organ, a harmonium, a vintage EDP Wasp synthesiser and a huge number of our most favourite instruments, large and small.

HOWEVER we were lucky that we had just returned from the short run of Christmas shows and that most of our touring equipment was still cased and stacked up. It is amazing what can be pulled out of totally melted flightcases and, with varying degrees of smoke and water damage, we have salvaged Justin's Lowden, his favourite SG and Vox AC30 and parts of Michael's touring kit while none of Marshall's guitars or Nelson's touring bass were in the studio at the time of the fire.

We are hoping that our Insurance claim will be relatively straightforward although it is too early to say for sure. Meanwhile, in the true 'Spirit Of The Mill', an army of volunteers helped us to fill five skips full of charred remains, while work has already begun on fixing the roof.

We would like to thank everyone who has written to us with messages of support and offers to loan gear. We have honestly been amazed and humbled by this response. Our gratitude and respect goes out to all of you. And lastly, but certainly not least, we'd like to thank the firefighters who contained the fire and saved the Mill (and even some of our equipment) in difficult and dangerous conditions.