It's been officially announced that AVA will be playing a show in Sydney on February 27th and Melbourne on March 1st. Bands supporting are Madina Lake and Framing Hanley. These two shows are organised by Soundwave touring but are seperate from the Soundwave festival.

Tickets on sale Thursday 26th January 9am AEDT:

Sydney, UNSW Roundhouse – LIC/AA – Monday 27th February: www.ticketek.com.au
Melbourne, The Forum (18+) – Thursday 1st March: www.ticketmaster.com.au

Discuss the Australian shows here. Link to festival dates here

VEVO Interview

Tom Delonge pays tribute to Critter

[ OC Weekly Excerpts - By Ian Joulain ] Critter Newell's tirelessness, professionalism and computer wizardry were things he fed off. More than that, he gave DeLonge confidence. "He was somebody who really just believed in me, the message and the philosophy behind what I was trying to do with [Angels and Airwaves]."

"He encouraged me at a time when I was obviously pretty insecure with who I was as an artist coming out of the breakup of Blink-182. So a lot of it was a guy holding my hand along the way and saying, 'I believe that you can not only do this, but I believe it's also in you, and now I am with you and along for the ride.' . . . The overarching theme with him that really worked well for me and expanded my abilities was [sitting and talking] through giant ideas and philosophies about every little thing we did." 

DeLonge admits he's still trying to win over fans with Angels and Airwaves, a band he views as a work in progress. DeLonge is undoubtedly proud of his group's accomplishments. "The goal, very specifically, is to break the band region by region and to bring a show that is very refined and tight . . . with production that hopefully is really captivating, modern and very different," DeLonge says.

Sadly, the man who helped shape DeLonge's musical vision won't be along for the ride. 

Read full artice here.

Update: Interview ripped above for people outside UK

[ Interview ] Today the UK's huge national station Radio 1 declared Anxiety as 'hottest record' by Zane Lowe. They got Tom Delonge on the phone to ask about Angels & Airwaves current plans. You can listen to the interview here or just watch the video above. Sounds like AVA will be playing some European festivals this summer. 

In other news. Here is a video of the AVA guys talking about movies on Nextmovie.com. 

Regarding Australian sideshows, we're still waiting for an announcement. There's still more days of announcements to come. Tickets for Pomona show (2nd of Feb) are currently on sale. All other California dates have sold out. Full U.S. tour should come later this year. 

Critter, the sound engineer for Angels & Airwaves passed away on New Years Eve. He was often regarded by the band and fans as the 'fifth member'. Critter worked on all four AVA albums as well as the LOVE movie and the Blink-182 record Neighborhoods. 

The official online obituary states he died at home but no more details were revealed.

Update: Angels & Airwaves official website have released a piece of writing by Critter. It's obvious Critter was very close with the band and held much appreciation for art.

Atom Willard said the following on Facebook "I am at a loss today, and I am truly saddened by our loss. We have all lost a huge talent, a creative genius, a friend, and an inspiration. What Critter saw in sound, and sounds, and how he saw music in general was like nothing I have ever experienced, or likely will again. He was amazing to work with and a fascinating human being, one who could just as easily debate politics, foreign policy, music, or apple products. I will forever miss his letters, his childlike enthusiasm for music, and his un-wavering quest for the best take, the best chorus, the best song. Good bye Critter."

Here you can leave messages in memory of Critter.

This commentary from Tom, David and Matt comes from spotify (original here) we've just cut out the 30 second gaps. What's so interesting about the commentary is to hear how the songs were made and who made what. Those who think AVA is a Tom Delonge solo project might have to retract their statement as we see how integral David and Matt are to the band, especially when Tom is away working with Blink.

Current 2012 Angels & Airwaves Tour Dates:

USA
Anaheim, House of Blues – Jan 22nd
Santa Barbara, Velvet Jones – Jan 25th
Los Angeles, The Music Box – Jan 26th
Solana Beach, Belly Up – Feb 1st

Europe
München, Theaterfabrik – April 2nd
Berlin, Kesselhaus – April 3rd
Köln, Live Music Hall – April 4th
Hamburg, Markthalle – April 5th

The first video is the interview that aired, second video is 10mins of  unaired footage.

Discuss the interview right here. 

You can buy the new AVA astronaut toy here on the AVAshop.com website.

Secret Shows in January

Word is that Angels & Airwaves are playing 'secret' shows in January. The shows currently revelaed are San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Tickets to be up 'soon'. Here are our sources.