Biography and current activity:
Activity Log Updated April 2026
Enduring alt rockers Balaam And The Angel unleash a new 4-track EP -
“Love Death Wealth Water” - alongside a series of single release shows and 40 th Anniversary Tour
The band continue their widely acknowledged return to form with another striking collection
of powerfully dark and atmospheric tracks and embrace their musical legacy with an autumn
tour to celebrate 40 years since the release of the classic “The Greatest Story Ever Told” album.
On Friday 1 st May, Balaam And The Angel will release the ‘Love Death Wealth Water’ EP, a collection of 4 songs recorded
as a follow up to the enthusiastically received 2024 ‘Forces Of Evil’EP, which was the band’s first release of new material
in over 30 years. On that day the new EP will be available to stream and download on all regular digital platforms.
In addition, a very limited-edition vinyl 4 track 12-inch single will be available on the band’s recently created Darklands
Recordings label (Darklands being one of the tracks that appeared on their very first 1984 EP). The pre order of this item has now taken place and all of these records have been sold !!!
Production of the record saw the band return to Oxygene studios Manchester to record with Christoph Bride (who has
recently worked on albums by The Chameleons and Kirk Brandon/Theatre Of Hate/ Spear Of Destiny). Reviews of the
previous collaboration (“Forces Of Evil” EP – Oct 2024) were universally positive making the return to Oxygene an
obvious option for the band. The sound of the new record is a deliberate attempt to blend the ambiance of the band’s darker past with the punchier
edge of their later albums alongside some of the most interesting and exciting new approaches to song writing and
recording.
The four tracks on the EP cover a range of lyrical content from some of the bands’ more common themes about how we
navigate our daily lives and friendships alongside some more provocative themes such as the perception of poverty and
the threat of online hacking, scamming and extortion to our daily lives and basic necessities.
“We were very pleased with the response to the “Forces Of Evil” EP and the clear appetite of the alternative rock
audience in the UK to embrace our new songs. As a result, we went into the studio this time with a renewed sense of
confidence that we were creating the type of energized and atmospheric rock that could resonate with current music
fans. The desire to improve upon the previous EP did present us with a challenge which we were keen to embrace
through an elevated attention to detail in the recording process as well as a curiosity to embrace some more
contemporary sounds and techniques” says guitarist Jim Morris.
The band are keen to encourage audiences to search for and listen to the new material on streaming platforms.
They will, however, support the release of the EP and passionate audience response to their previous live work (sold out
Kindred Spirits Day Fest show in London, support dates with Fields Of The Nephilim, a very positively received
performance at Tomorrows Ghosts Festival) with a further series of dates across the UK.
Balaam And The Angel are one of the very few bands of their era who can still claim to have maintained their original
line up and as a result guarantee their audiences an authentic 80’s alternative live music experience.
“Love Death Wealth Water” EP track listing:
1. Wealth
2. Fear Of Poison Water
3. You Are Dead To Me
4. Love Me Too
Catch Balaam And The Angel playing tracks from “Love Death Wealth Water” EP live at the following dates:
Sat 9th May: Woking, Fiery Bird Sun 10 th May: Brighton, Concorde 2 – Kindred Spirits Day Fest
Fri 9 th July: York, The Fulford Arms
Sat 10 th July: Edinburgh, La Belle Angele – Deadinburgh Festival.
“The Greatest Story Ever Told” 40 th Anniversary Tour:
In August 1986 “The Greatest Story Ever Told” was released on Virgin Records. The album achieved a chart position of
67 in the UK and went onto be released worldwide throughout 1987. “She Knows”, one of three singles taken from the
album, charted in the top 75 (peaking at 70) and the period saw Balaam And The Angel headlining shows at UK concert
venues like The Town And Country Club, London (now The Forum Kentish Town) and embark upon tours of USA, Japan
and various European countries.
Tracks from the album have become firm live favourites prompting the band to feel that it would be fitting to mark the
album’s anniversary with a carefully curated UK tour during which they will play the album in its entirety.
“Through the years we have come to appreciate the fact that “The Greatest Story Ever Told” album was a record that
represented a very important part of the alternative rock scene in the mid 80’s and was a body of work that connected
with audience across the world in a very deep and significant way. For many it was the soundtrack behind the rights of
passage that formed their individual views of life and, from the feedback we get, is still an album that they return to
alongside other classics from that period. We are keen to be seen to be moving forward with new material but think it
there is a clear responsibility on us to mark the anniversary of this release with some live performances” said singer
Mark Morris
Hear “The Greatest Story Ever Told” at the following dates:
Friday 20 th November – Leeds, Warehouse
Friday 27 th November – London, Bush Hall
Saturday 28 th November – Birmingham, 02 Institute2
More dates to be announced over the coming weeks….
Activity Log June 2025
On Thursday 12th June Balaam And The Angel will release an edited version of the title track from their successful 4 track 12 inch EP “Forces Of Evil”. The new version will be available on all digital streaming platforms and will be supported by another fantastic video created by Adam Smith. The video will premiere on Thursday 12th June @ 5.00pm (click on the image below for the link):
The band will also be going out on tour around the UK. Dates include:
Saturday 12th July : Old Woollen, Leeds - Antenna Festival
Saturday 30th August : The Hangar Warehouse, Wolverhampton - Dark Fest
Wednesday 8th October : Parish, Huddersfield*
Thursday 9th October : The Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes*
Friday 10th October : Waterfront Studios, Norwich*
Saturday 11th October : The Tivoli, Buckley*
Saturday 1st November : Whitby - Tomorrow's Ghosts Festival
Sunday 23rd November : Signature Brewery, London - Kindred Spirits Day Fest
* = headline shows with support from Fluoxetine
Activity Log October 2024
On Saturday 26th October Balaam And The Angel will release “Forces Of Evil” a collection of recently recorded songs to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the bands first 4 track EP World Of Light (released in Nov 1984). It is the first release of new material for over 30 years (Prime Time album - Shame On You/What Love Is singles = released in 1993)
The EP will be released in the same format as its predecessor as a 4 track 12 inch single. There will be an option of a coloured vinyl or a vinyl picture disc. This will be the only physical format that will be released (there will be no CD or cassette).
The record will be released on the bands newly created Darklands Recordings label (Darklands being one of the tracks that appeared on the 1984 EP)
The material was recorded in Oxygene studios Manchester with Christoph Bride (who has recently worked on albums by The Chameleons and Kirk Brandon/Theatre Of Hate/ Spear Of Destiny). The sound of the record marries the feel of the bands darker past with the punchier edge of their later releases.
EP Track Listing:
1.Dancing Senseless 2. Forces Of Evil 3. Feel The Silence 4. Afterlife
The band will go on tour in November to support the release of the EP taking in 8 cities throughout the UK (see below
for tour dates). It is the first major outing since the "1984 - 1988 Singles And More" tour in April 2018.
The band have continued to perform intermittently since then choosing to play carefully selected headline shows and special events such as Tomorrows Ghosts Festival, Kirk Brandon Westworld Weekend, The Mission Shindig and most recently as special guest on the sold out Almighty shows (Nov 2023)
Balaam And The Angel are one of very few bands who can still claim to have maintained their full original line up. They are three brothers born in Scotland and raised in the West Midlands.
The four tracks on the EP have been written by the band and demonstrate a more developed approach to the lyrical content which embraces some of the bands more common themes about how we navigate our daily lives alongside some more provocative themes such as mental health and the contradiction between religious belief vs religious intolerance and the way in which this are used as one of the reasons for the persecution of others.
“The process of creating this collection of songs has been incredibly unique and has prompted us to revisit some previously overlooked ideas. The track “Forces Of Evil” had it’s origins way back in the start of our musical journey. It was a song that we had set aside because the lyrics seemed too naïve and simplistic however fast forward four decades and we have a set of lyrics and sentiment that could not be more current and universally appropriate” Jim Morris
Balaam Back Story Basics
Balaam And The Angel are three brother who were born in Scotland and grew up on a council estate in Cannock in Staffordshire.
They played music together as teenagers but finally formed Balaam And The Angel in the early 80’s inspired at that time by the new scene that was developing around Bauhaus, The Sisters Of Mercy, Southern Death Cult, Theatre Of Hate etc and a collective experience at the Futurama Festival in Bingley Hall, Stafford in 1981.
Phase 1: Saw the band gain significant success as artists on the independent Chapter 22 label set up in conjunction with the band and their manager at the time Craig Jennings (who went on to form Raw Power Management). They released three 12 inch EP’s on this label (World Of Light, Love Me, Day And Night) and a compilation album of this material (Sun Family). The band appeared on The Tube and toured extensively in the UK. The sound of this period reflected the darker edge of their initial influences.
Phase 2: The band signed to Virgin Records. They went on to release three albums on this label (The Greatest Story Ever Told, Live Free Or Die, Days Of Madness) and recruited Ian McKean as an additional guitarist. As you might expect the sound evolved over this time. Touring across the UK, Europe and eventually in the USA and Japan presented a set of new influences that showed up in the song writing of this period. The band had a UK top 70 chart entry with “She Knows” plus a number one hit record on US college radio with “I Love The Things You Do To Me”. In addition to this “I’ll Show You Something Special” was added to the soundtrack of a key sequence in the film “Trains, Planes And Automobiles”. The band played Reading Festival (1986), arena shows with Aerosmith, Kiss, The Cult and were special guest for Iggy Pop’s two sell out shows at Brixton Academy (1986) and a club tour of the Mid West (1987).
Phase 3: The band signed to independent rock label Intensity Records to release “No More Innocence” a six track taster that later grew into the extended album “Prime Time”. The band took the opportunity of this period to explore a much heavier sound and in doing so attracted recognition from a wider set of fans and the attention of publications like Kerrang and Metal Hammer. The band continued to tour throughout the UK and support a career as professional musicians in what, for them, were more challenging times.
Phase 4: The period up to the present day has seen some intermittent activity from the band. All three of the brothers have taken time out to explore and develop successful careers outside of the music industry, have families etc whilst at the same time maintaining some visibility with their very loyal UK fan base through social media and carefully selected performances and tours. The level of interest in Balaam And The Angel (and the early 80s alternative scene) has increased considerably in the last decade making the purpose of a new release seem much more relevant