Just a few days after a billboard appeared in Philadelphia announcing "The Philadelphia Society of Future Vampires" with the date 10-31-25 beneath it, I'm happy to help announce that Ink & Dagger have some cool things coming up within the next few weeks, including a few live shows.
Firstly, Trust Records have partnered with the influential '90s band to reissue their complete discography via three standalone LPs: Drive This Seven Inch Wooden Stake Through My Philadelphia Heart, The Fine Art of Original Sin, and Ink & Dagger. Featuring remastered audio by David Cooley (M83, Tame Impala), will arrive in stores and digital platforms on Halloween.
A deluxe box set entitled Ink & Dagger: The Complete Works has also been announced today. Shipping in March, the box set will include the three standalone albums, plus a fourth LP titled Experiments in Nocturnal Sound and Energy: Singles 96-99. It will also come with a book called The Almighty which was written by Erik Bader, and the packaging was done by Jeremy Dean, who you can read all about here.
Ink & Dagger have just shared a music video for the remastered audio version of "Full Circle" to tease the reissues. The clip was directed by Brian Balchak and includes unseen footage by Joe Burns and images from the box set’s book:
Now to the live action.
Ink & Dagger have announced a trio of hometown performances at Philadelphia’s First Unitarian Church happening over Halloween weekend, October 30 (Paint It Black opens), October 31 (Deadguy opens), and November 1 (Soul Glo opens). Tickets are on sale Friday, October 3 at 10AM local time.
For the uninitiated, Ink & Dagger was formed in Philadelphia by vocalist Sean McCabe (Crud is a Cult, Mandela Strike Force) and guitarist Don Devore (Frail, The Icarus Line, The Lilys). The band's sound was tough to categorize, part punk, part hardcore, fueled by theatrics, mischief, and occult mystique.
With a rotating lineup that included members of Lifetime, Prema, Delta 72, and even comedian and actor Eric Wareheim, Ink & Dagger carved a wild 4-year run, from chaotic 7”s to a final psyched-out full-length. Their story ended abruptly in 2000 when McCabe died at 27.
If you're interested in learning more about Sean and Ink & Dagger's legacy, I'll point you to this excellent piece by Justin Moulder. I was lucky enough to have seen the band live a few times in the '90s, and they were truly one of a kind.
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Ink & Dagger: The Complete Works Includes: Drive This Seven Inch Wooden Stake Through My Philadelphia Heart, The Fine Art of Original Sin, Ink & Dagger, and Experiments in Nocturnal Sound and Energy: Singles 96-99 are up for pre-order now directly from Trust Records.
Ink & Dagger live shows:
Oct 30: Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church ! (tickets)
Oct 31: Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church # (tickets)
Nov 01: Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church * (tickets)
! Paint It Black support
# Deadguy support
* Soul Glo support
Tagged: ink and dagger
