Taking place on the spectacular waterfront, Faithless’ show on the evening of Friday 24^th July will be the first in a series of iconic anniversaries. On Saturday 25^th July, HOSPITAL30 On The Harbour will celebrate 30 years of one of the most renowned labels in UK dance music, Hospital Records.

Siren Bristol and Faithless’ full post announcing the show is below.

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‘Reverence’ shaped the electronic music scene immediately with the runaway success of ‘Insomnia.’ A track featuring lyrics about the narrator’s struggle with insomnia, Nexus.Radio says this ‘strike[s] a chord with clubgoers.’ Relatability was not the only key to the song’s success. Electronic Groove calls the track ‘one of the most recognizable pieces of electronic music ever created’ noting its ‘enthralling build up, Sister Bliss’ sharp synth lines, and Maxi Jazz’s unmistakable spoken-word delivery’ as elements which have allowed it to stand the test of time. The song reached 27 on the UK Singles Chart and Number 1 on the UK Dance Chart. Rereleased in 1996, it peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart. ‘Insomnia’ achieved popularity worldwide, entering the Top 10 on charts in Austria, Denmark, Flanders, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, and Sweden.

In 2015, Swedish DJ Avicii remixed the song, calling the version ‘Insomnia 2.0 (Avicii Remix).’ This was done as part of ‘Faithless 2.0,’ a reimagining of their catalog that included contributions from electronic greats such as Tiësto, Armin van Buuren and Claptone. Sister Bliss told DJ Mag of the Avicii remix, ‘it connected with a whole new fanbase that weren’t even born when we started.’

The band continued their success into the streaming era. After a seven-year recording hiatus, ‘All Blessed’  was released in 2020. Xs Noize called it a ‘powerful beacon of light in electronica.’ The album peaked at number 6 on the UK Albums Chart.

Over their career, Faithless has achieved 10 UK Top 10 singles, six Top 5 albums (three at Number 1) and global sales exceeding 20 million albums, as well as garnering close to one billion streams. The list of Faithless’ accolades are more than warranting of a glorious celebration on the Bristol Harbourside. But the band seeks to also bring a deeper meaning to their new era of live performing.

After the tragic passing of legend Maxi Jazz in 2022, Sister Bliss and Rollo are returning to performance with the aim to create a show that both celebrates the genre Faithless was instrumental in creating as well as being a remembrance of Maxi himself. To do this, the band as enlisted Jvan Morandi (Jean-Michel Jarre), acclaimed show designer, as well as a close cohort of collaborators. Together, they will create a show described as punky, funky, uplifting and emotionally charged. And on the 30^th anniversary of the band, they want to bring fans back to the energy of their very beginnings.

At the open-air show this July, Faithless will be supported by Bristol-based group, Kosheen, who are celebrating 25 years of their influential label, Resist. Also on the line-up is fellow Bristol-based DJ, Milly on Air. It will be her debut on her hometown’s beautiful Habourside, and is sure to represent the bright future of the genre of which Faithless has been a bellwether.

Faithless’ show will join the vibrant platform of Siren Bristol. Its 2026 series also features the return of The Maccabees on 23^rd July, a show which has already 80% sold out. The Faithless anniversary show will be a cornerstone of the summer calendar in one of the UK’s most music-rich cities.

Tickets and further information can be found at www.sirenbristol.com / www.undivide.co.uk

Emerging in the mid ’90s, Faithless’ core members, comprising of lead vocalist Maxi Jazz, musician Sister Bliss and producer Rollo, played a key role in shaping the electronic dance music scene, with iconic tracks such as ‘Insomnia’ and ‘We Come 1′.

‘Forever Free’ which was released on Friday 6 June, will be the opening track in their new album ‘Champion Sound’, their first since 2020’s ‘All Blessed’. ‘Champion Sound’ will be the first studio album to feature Maxi Jazz’s vocals since 2010’s ‘The Dance’. The 17-minute-long track takes listeners on a journey through echoed, distorted synths, energetic beats and evocative spoken word. Jazz’s segment in the track nears the beginning, and goes as follows: “When time come/Beneath the fearsome sun/My daughter my son/Be as completely you/As you can be.”

Maxi Jazz passed away in 2022 at the age of 65 after battling a long illness. Faithless had split in 2011, and when they reformed in the midst of the Covid pandemic, Maxi hadn’t joined them, as he’d formed his own band, Maxi Jazz and The E-Type Boys. A complete stylistic departure from his work with Faithless, the band described their sound as “melodic funk and blues mixed with reggae beats, dub basslines and Jamaican melodies.”

In a 2024 interview with NME, Sister Bliss shared some insight into the new album, and discussed missing Jazz and honouring his legacy. She described going on stage without their former frontman as “like going out there and just pulling your pants down.”

She says: “It’s a very vulnerable experience because Maxi was so iconic and so powerful and so compelling and charismatic as a frontman. You couldn’t not get involved when he’s there being the remaster of it all, and bringing that extra dimension – that philosophical, anarcho-Buddhist-punk vibe – to the live shows.”

Speaking about ‘Champion Sound’, Sister Bliss said working with poets and spoken word musicians that shared Faithless’ vision was key after Jazz’s passing: “That is a real passing the baton from Maxi, which is what he wanted to do. He wanted to slow down on Faithless, probably because he wasn’t very well. So I feel that we’ve been blessed enough to find artists to collaborate with who are worthy of that baton.”

‘Champion Sound’ will be released in four parts over the summer, and is said to feature big names such as Bebe Rexha. The full album is dropping in September. Singles ‘Forever Free’, ‘Fugitive’, ‘In Your Own Groove’ and ‘Peace and Noise’ have already been released, and are available for streaming. You can pre-order ‘Champion Sound’ here.

The tour kicks off on November 1 at Edinburgh’s O2 Academy, setting the stage for a 21-date journey that will conclude at Copenhagen’s Poolen on December 14. While the release date for Champion Sound has not been confirmed, the tour is marketed as supporting the upcoming release. Joining Faithless on the tour as opening act will be Dutch electronic duo Tinlicker. General sale for tickets will begin on Friday August 30, with fans able to purchase here.

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After forming in London in 1995, the group rose as part of the burgeoning electronic scene in the city, blending trip-hop, trance, house, and other electronic styles. Their debut album, Reverence (1996), featured hits like “Insomnia” and “Salva Mea”, which, combined with a reputation live shows of great energy and emotional depth, made them a staple at major festivals worldwide. The announcement of the Champion Sound tour comes on the heels of Faithless’ recent festival appearances, including a standout performance at Glastonbury.

 

 

 

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The tour will be the first major outing for the group since the passing of their frontman, Maxi Jazz, in December 2022. In a heartfelt message on Instagram, surviving members Sister Bliss and Rollo expressed their gratitude for the support they’ve received over the past year. “Maxi died just over a year ago and obviously we miss him every day. Thank you all for all of your kind words of support over this last year. It has really, really meant a lot,” they wrote.

Champion Sound is set to be Faithless’ eighth studio release and their first since 2020’s All Blessed, which Magnetic Magazine called “reinvigorated” from previous releases, as well as “blissful, tranced out Balearic.” In contrast, the band appears to be dealing with Maxi Jazz’ death in Champion Sound‘s already shared first single, “Find A Way,” which has been met with enthusiastic acclaim from fans and critics alike. Teaming up with London poet Suli Breaks, the track opens: “I wish our worlds weren’t so far apart / Please know you’ll always be my star”, over a more grave, anthemic and moody beat than those seen on the group’s last release.

The announcement of ‘Champion Sound’ Comes in the middle of Faithless’ first run of live shows in eight years and their first since Maxi Jazz died. They are currently touring Europe and the UK and recently performed a headline set at Glastonbury on the Glade stage.

The announcement of the new album and the release of ‘Find A Way’ sees the group release their first new music since their legendary singer Maxi Jazz passed away in December 2022. Speaking on the potential release of new music on their Instagram back in April, remaining members Sister Bliss and Rollo wrote: “As many of you have noticed, we’re back…Some shows have already been announced but we couldn’t start the summer without a little personal note. Maxi died just over a year ago and obviously we miss him every day. Thank you all for all of your kind words of support over this last year. It has really, really meant a lot.

In the meantime we never stopped (couldn’t stop, never wanted to stop!) making music. Even during Maxi’s long illness we recorded and released ‘All Blessed’ and now finally, 8 years after our last live performance, we are returning to festival stages across the summer and are planning some of our own shows later this year…”

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Sister Bliss spoke to DJ Mag around the same time about Faithless’ return to live shows: “These shows are going to be a celebration of all our years in music – what we love, what we stand for as a band, and a real tribute to Maxi as well. We’ve been working on this for months now so there is a theme, there is a feeling, there is a vibe to the show, and it’s exciting, it will still have the rawness and edge that our shows are known for, and I think that’s because we’ve thought really hard about what we want to say both sonically and visually.”

The Dance group’s new single ‘Find A Way’ sees the group collaborate with poet Suli Breaks. The two also partnered up for a lot of the tracks from the group’s last album ‘All Blessed’ Which saw them release their first record without Jazz on vocals.

Maxi Jazz died after a long battle with an undisclosed illness back in 2022. Jazz first met producer Rollo Armstrong in 1995 and along with Sister Bliss and Jamie Catto, they went onto to form Faithless. Jazz was a constant member of the group from their formation in 1995 all the way until 2011. During this time the dance group released lots of successful music including the huge hit ‘Insomnia’ which was originally released in 1995 and reached number 1 on the UK Dance Chart and then reached number 3 on UK Singles Chart when it was re-released a year later.

Because Faithless have announced their first live shows in eight years.

The band, who was originally comprised of,  Maxi Jazz, Sister Bliss and Rollo Armstrong, had incredible success during their time in the limelight. And despite releasing new music in 2020, the dance music band has been relatively quiet since the passing of singer Maxi Jazz in 2022.

Returning after an eight-year live music hiatus, the English electronic legends are set to embark on a four-date run in June – a tour which will culminate with a homecoming show at London’s Roundhouse. The tour, dubbed as ‘The Champion Sound Tour’, will make stops in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Amsterdam, which will see Faithless joined by a seven-piece band as they perform a mixture of music ‘old and new’.

Speaking to DJ Mag about Faithless’ return to the live arena, founding member Sister Bliss said: “These shows are going to be a celebration of all our years in music – what we love, what we stand for as a band, and a real tribute to Maxi as well.”

“We’ve been working on this for months now so there is a theme, there is a feeling, there is a vibe to the show, and it’s exciting,” she continued. “It will still have the rawness and edge that our shows are known for, and I think that’s because we’ve thought really hard about what we want to say both sonically and visually.”

The shows themselves will pay tribute to vocalist and bandmate Maxi Jazz, who passed away in December 2022 at the age of just 65. “Obviously he won’t be there with us, but he’ll be there in spirit, and so the whole thing is a very new and different thing for us,” Sister Bliss shared. “I really hope people are going to get stuck in and dance, and really lose themselves in the music, because that’s what people have always done at a Faithless gig.”

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In their own words, Faithless write:

“As many of you have noticed, we’re back…Some shows have already been announced but we couldn’t start the summer without a little personal note. Maxi died just over a year ago and obviously we miss him every day. Thank you all for all of your kind words of support over this last year. It has really, really meant a lot.

In the meantime, we never stopped (couldn’t stop, never wanted to stop!) making music. Even during Maxi’s long illness we recorded and released ‘All Blessed’ and now finally, eight years after our last live performance, we are returning to festival stages across the summer and are planning some of our own shows later this year…”

The band will also return to the UK this summer for festival season performing three special sets at Glastonbury, Wilderness, and Bestival.

Faithless have also confirmed that a new full-length album has been completed.

Sign up today for pre-sale tickets here. General sale tickets will be available on 26th April.

Sister Bliss, keyboardist for Faithless released a statement on Twitter of his passing. “Maxi Jazz, 1957-2022. We are heartbroken to share that Maxi died peacefully in his sleep last night. Sending love to all of you who shared our musical journey. Look after each other y’hear.”

Faithless released an official statement on Twitter offering their condolences as well. “We are heartbroken to say that Maxi Jazz died peacefully in his sleep last night. He was a man who changed our lives in so many ways. He gave proper meaning to our music. He was a lovely human being with time for everyone and wisdom that was both profound and accessible.”

We are heartbroken to say Maxi Jazz died peacefully in his sleep last night. He was a man who changed our lives in so many ways. He gave proper meaning and a message to our music. He was a lovely human being with time for everyone and wisdom that was both profound and accessible. pic.twitter.com/VcFe7OpTh6

— Faithless (@faithless) December 24, 2022

Prior to Faithless, in 1984, Maxi was the founder of The Soul Food Café System as a DJ. This was after he discovered hip-hop a year prior. The Soul Food Café band was picked up by Tam Tam Records in 1989. Three years later, he was the founder of Namu Records and released the band’s material by recording three EPs and touring to support big artists like Jamiroquai in Amsterdam, Soul II Soul in Barcelona, Galliano in Switzerland and Jason Rebello in Brazil. It was these experiences alone, that inspired him to form a band which ended up being a success.

Maxi Jazz was the person who formed and shaped Faithless to success throughout the 90s-00s.  All thanks to his ever-shining charisma and support towards his bandmates, especially Rollo Armstrong who he met at the studio which began the formation. In Faithless, he was the mastermind of providing one of the most iconic voices in House/Electronic music. Two major hits such as “God Is A DJ” and as well as “Insomnia” was vibrant back in their time and still remain vibrant and nostalgic to this day.

Though vibrant, Faithless songs had a deeper meaning that reflected political approaches. The US senate and the House of Parliament quote lyrics from one of Faithless’ songs. During the lockdown, their 2020 album, All Blessed, focuses on the harsh reality of immigration, identity and how much it lacked in our society.

In 2015, Maxi split from the group to focus on fronting as a guitarist and singer the Maxi Jazz and The E-Type Boys under the Faithless 2.0 banner. In 2016, he left Faithless for the final time.

Faithless
“Insomnia”
1️⃣9️⃣9️⃣6️⃣ #90s pic.twitter.com/XK8kAYJY9n

— The 80’s & 90’s Revisited (@80s90sRevisited) January 6, 2023

The original iteration of All Blessed contains features from GAIKA, Jazzy B, and interestingly from folk veteran Damien Jurado, who has been featuring more prominently in dance music in the last half-decade. The enhanced version features remixes from Claptone, Paul Woolford, Yotto, and many others. It also includes an acoustic version of ‘I Need Someone’, featuring Caleb Femi and Sully Breaks. The new edition is to be released on a triple LP and revised digital edition. Listen to the deluxe edition of All Blessed below:

Released last year, All Blessed was their first release in ten years. Going their separate ways in 2011, they regrouped in 2015 to celebrate their 20th anniversary, only for member Maxi Jazz to leave, forming Maxi Jazz & The E-Type Boys a year later. The absence of Jazz has been felt massively, with Magnetic Mag writing that All Blessed had “a very different feel vocally. There are fewer spoken word segments though those are still present and an important part of the Faithless ethos.” 

On the rerelease, Faithless member Sister Bliss told Mixmag that “even though we have moved into the age of streaming, we feel strongly that vinyl still has a place in the digital era. It’s the analogue world we came from, and especially as we had so many strong dance remixes of the songs on ‘All Blessed’, this felt like the ideal place to present them to our vinyl-loving fans, allowing both the music, and the artwork to shine.”

“There is a real sense of occasion when you open a triple vinyl gatefold sleeve album, with all the sleeve notes and lyrics to pore over time. We hope this brings an extra dimension to the listening experience, and we are very grateful to have the opportunity to make this deluxe version of our album. We hope it has a special place in your collection!”

A return to form, Faithless have dominated dancefloors since the 90s. Their main hit, ‘Insomnia’ is still routinely blended in mixes across the country. In recent times, they have featured on R Plus’ ‘Hold On To Your Heart’, as well as R Plus’ cover of Joy Division’s classic ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’.

The two acts join Queen on the 2016 billing, who are set to play the Sunday slot, and will be fronted by Adam Lambert as the lead singer for the performance.

Stereophonics’ frontman Kelly Jones talked about headlining the festival, saying “I love playing the Isle Of Wight Festival. I got to steer the boat over last time. Captain of the ship and honked the horn! Only the captain gets to honk the horn. This will be our third time at the festival…. I’ll leave my white suit at home this time though!”

Faithless were also pleased to be playing Isle of Wight again, saying: “We can’t wait to return to play such an iconic festival for the second time. We were proud to be part of its relaunch in 2005 and it’s an absolute pleasure to be invited back.”

Festival promoter John Giddings added: “We are delighted to welcome Stereophonics and Faithless back to the Isle of Wight Festival to co-headline the Friday night. Stereophonics continue to prove they are still on top with a new number one album and they are absolutely brilliant live. Likewise Faithless, who are currently celebrating their 20th year, have had hit after hit, and I know the crowds at the festival are going to go crazy when they bring their live set up to the Friday night. Looking forward to catching their sets!”

The Isle of Wight Festival 2016 will take place on the 10th to the 12th of June at Seaclose Park in Newport.