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.

Sophie Ellis-Bexter, Orlando Weeks and House Gospel Choir are now known to be opening on the main stage, with Ellis-Bexter taking the Friday, Weeks the Saturday and HGC the Sunday. It’s exciting news for them all, especially for Weeks, what with having recently become a father and releasing his latest LP earlier this year.

We are thrilled to announce the Spectacular Main Stage Openings for Wilderness 2022. Starting the party will be @SophieEB on Friday, @OrlandoWeeks on Saturday and @HouseChoir on Sunday. See the full programme here https://t.co/cMCbdRZtKw pic.twitter.com/kTlaQ1ubKx

— Wilderness Festival (@WildernessHQ) April 4, 2022

Weeks’ 2022 LP Hop Up reportedly covers his reaction to fatherhood, saying “I wanted that kind of cloud nine feeling with every song – that’s the job I gave myself and Nathan (Jenkins, aka Bullion, the album’s producer). It was to achieve a lightness or a buoyancy. It’s less document and more atmosphere (this time).“ You can hear one of his latest singles below.

And it’s not just music that will be heard at this event either. Throughout its four days, they’ve also got popular speakers lined up for appearances, such as comedian Russell Kane and actor Michelle De Swarte. And they also cater to the hungry festival-goers, with dining and feasting events apparently happening as well. You can see the full line-up at this link.

And apparently, there are even going to be some special themes this year, challenging audiences to “embrace your inner creative …. Whether it’s embroidering, painting, beading, or borrowing … old is the new, new darling and vintage is most definitely in“.

They tell audiences to “Take cues from Widow Twanky … antics, jesters and harlequins. Dig out your best pranks and wear them. Too much is never enough“. And triangles are supposedly their favourite shape at the moment, so do be careful what you wear when attending. It’s more important than you might think. There are more details on their website if you go by the previous link.

The festival is due to take place from August 4^th-7^th and tickets can be found here. They’ve got a whole host of different options, from general camping (lakeside view take your fancy?), quiet camping, boutique camping (for the luxury-seekers) and more. Suffice to say, it should be a good turn of events for people all over the campsite.