by LORRAINE CARPENTER

It’s been a long two years for Montrealers the Dears, full of hard work and hard play, a few negative reviews and new followings, personal disappointments and dreams come true. Since the release of their 2003 sophomore LP, No Cities Left, the band has embarked on epic tours of North America, the U.K., Europe, Australia and Japan, and gained a manager, a guitarist (Patrick Krief, who replaced Rob Benvie) and a bun in an oven. Ahead of next week’s homecoming show, singer Murray Lightburn sent the Mirror a dispatch from the end of the road.

After the NME names “We Can Have It” Single of the Week…

Murray Lightburn: Our first headline gig at London’s Barfly sells out, as do many shows after that. I meet the House of the Love, and My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields is at our gig in February. I cross my fingers for Johnny Marr to show up in Manchester after a journalist tells me Johnny is a fan. He is, unfortunately, a no-show. But, next thing I know, the phone is ringing with a his-people-calling-our-people personal invitation to open for Morrissey in Toronto. In tears, I shake Morrissey’s hand backstage at the Hummingbird Centre. He basically reminds me to use the force. Those aren’t his exact words, but you get the picture.

Following shows with Morrissey in NYC and L.A., a write-up in Rolling Stone, and offers (which are all turned down) to tour in Russia and with Duran Duran and REM…

ML: In Brussels, Natalia [Yanchak: keyboardist, backup singer, common-law wife] finds out she is pregnant. That means I’m going to be a dad. We tell the band in Australia. Everyone is excited. Then I find us on the cover of a magazine with the quote, “If Morrissey is God, I’m Jesus.” Augh. Natalia and I go to Hawaii for a week to chill out.

The Dears hit the U.K./E.U. festival circuit…

ML: We face off with New Order in Hyde Park. I stand in a foot of mud watching over 100,000 people singing along with Coldplay at Glastonbury. I meet Thurston Moore at Roskilde—screw guitars, let’s talk babies. He gives me some valuable advice I’ll never forget. Our bus leaves the site while Black Sabbath play a medley of their classics. I witness the NIN comeback in Belgium. They are unbelievable. Really. We hang out with Interpol and Bloc Party (their singer is black too!) while Rammstein breathes fire in front of over 100,000 people. At T-in the Park in Scotland, we park next to Pete Townshend’s camper. Yes. The guitarist/writer from the Who is standing right next to our bus. Everyone rushes for their cameras while he turns into a puff of smoke. Perfect. At this point, we have played to thousands and thousands of people and it just doesn’t sink in. We count the gigs, days, hours left until we’re home. No airports or flights, no buses or vans, no skanks, no ridiculous amounts of booze, no shitty food, no suitcases, no bureaus de change, no immigration, no countries—uh, no cities left. Thank heaven. A really pivotal chapter in Dears history is written. However, there’s still so much more to come, and I have zero fear.

With Patrick Watson at the Spectrum
on Tuesday, July 19, 7:30 p.m., $17

>> Music Listings