London glamsters Rachel Stamp have announced a one-off London show in celebration of the reissue of their classic debut album.

The androgynous four-piece had become darlings of the London rock scene during the late 90s, sharing stages with acts as diverse as No Doubt, Cheap Trick and Korn.

Following a string of indie hits, Hymns For Strange Children was recorded and mixed in a week with Nine Inch Nails producer John Fryer.  It emerged in early 2000 to waves of ecstatic reviews and magazine covers, leading to a sell-out UK tour culminating in a show at  the 2,000 capacity London Astoria.

“We paved the way for a whole generation of fans to be themselves and not to blindly conform to what someone else told them they should be,” says singer/bassist David Ryder Prangley today. “It was really tough to walk around looking the way we did back then. There was a lot of verbal and physical abuse directed towards us and I’m sure it was the same for our fans, but we all lived through it and came out the other side for the better.

“I meet a lot of musicians who used to come and see us play when they were teenagers and were inspired by us,” he adds. “But I don’t think there has really been a band since Rachel Stamp that mixed heavy, distorted guitars with synths and melodic vocals like we did. We’re still unique in that way and I’m very excited that Hymns For Strange Children is being re-released and hopefully reaching a whole new audience.”

Now fully digitally remastered and repackaged, the album is being released on vinyl for the first time ever through Easy Action Records on 14 April, in a limited edition of 700 pink vinyl copies. There’ll also be new CD edition with bonus tracks, plus a digital edition available from all the usual platforms.

To celebrate Rachel Stamp will be playing a special show at London’s O2 Academy Islington on the album’s release date. Tickets are on sale to O2 priority customers now and go on general sale on Wednesday 8 February at 10.00 am.

Tickets https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/event/1F005E2DE27235FF