Psychedelic rock n’ roll trailblazers Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats return to North America in March of 2022, with their first stop slated for Brooklyn Steel. The tour features Rochester heavy psych-rock band King Buffalo, and wraps up on April 3 in Boston.
The brainchild of mercurial Cambridgeshire mystic Kevin Starrs, Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats have been making music since 2009. Always too bold and idiosyncratic to be easily pigeonholed, they emerged from an obscure corner of the labyrinthine English underground as shadowy purveyors of a new and overwhelmingly psychedelic take on hard rock and blues, Steeped in both the wayward melodies and mischievous arrangements of psychedelic pop and the dissonant thunder of proto-metal and doom, Starrs’ greatest feat has been to create an entirely fresh sonic world from these most familiar of ingredients.
The UK band was supposed to tour North America in 2022, but were postponed due to the pandemic. Some of the shows in those cities and venues are included in the 2022 tour dates.
The band shared the following message with fans:
WARNING: We’ll be returning to the stages of North America for the first time since 2019. Support from King Buffalo. See you there!
Tickets for all dates on the upcoming tour are now on sale.
Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats w/s/g King Buffalo – North American Tour 2022
March 2 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel March 3 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer March 4 – Pittsburgh, PA @ The Roxian March 5 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Sound Stage March 7 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel March 8 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade March 9 – Tampa, FL @ The Ritz March 11 – New Orleans, LA @ House Of Blues March 12 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live March 13 – Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues March 15 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom March 16 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory March 17 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco March 18 – Berkeley, CA @ The UC Theater March 21 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater March 22 – Vancouver, BC @ The Commodore March 23 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox Market March 25 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot March 26 – Denver, CO @ The Ogden Theatre March 27 – Kansas City, MO @ The Truman March 29 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue March 30 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall April 1 – Toronto, ON @ The Danforth April 2 – Montreal, QC @ Club Soda April 3 – Boston, MA @ Big Nite Live
Canadian multi-instrumentalist and producer Caribou (a.k.a. Dan Snaith) made his way to New York this past weekend for three shows over two days at Brooklyn Steel. Sandwiched in the middle of a 20-night run of another electro-rock band at the venue, these Caribou concerts were two years in the making. Originally scheduled for March of 2020, the Caribou shows were some of the first to be postponed in the city due to the incoming pandemic. Snaith attested to that after the opening song, admitting to the crowd how weird it felt finally being able to play a gig planned so long ago.
Caribou at Brooklyn Steel, 11/27/21. Photo by Buscar Photo
The concert calendar right now is a very strange mix. The entire live music industry came to a halt for a year and a half; postponing or cancelling shows throughout 2020 and 2021, many of which have been rescheduled and are now in progress. On top of that, there is a backlog of tours that were being planned at the time of the pandemic, and are just now trying to be scheduled for the first time. Tickets are being sold for shows more than a year in advance. Some of these artists have released albums two years ago and are now getting their first opportunity to perform the music live. This is the case with Caribou and his fifth LP under the moniker, Suddenly. The record was released back in February 2020 on Merge Records.
“Never Come Back” off Caribou’s LP Suddenly. Via YouTube.
Caribou’s music is a bright blend of electro-house elements and indie rock. The songs are stretched out on the live stage into deep jams with distinct movements and very high energy, techno-style percussions. A heavy strobe style lighting arrangement gives off a club type atmosphere ripe for the dance floor. The concerts took place this past Saturday and Sunday, with a matinee performance Sunday afternoon before a second show later that night.
Dan Snaith (a.k.a. Caribou) at Brooklyn Steel, 11/27/21. Photo by Buscar Photo
This leg of the tour is nearing its end; Caribou plays three more shows in the Northeast leading up to a set at Mexico’s Trópical Festival the first weekend of December. A lengthy second leg of the tour kicks off in February and takes Caribou across the UK and Europe with some west coast and Canadian dates mixed in. Find the full tour schedule HERE. Check out NYS Music’s photos from the first show on Saturday night below.
Indie music fans gathered in Brooklyn Steel Monday, November 1st, for a sold-out show featuring co-headliners Beach Fossils and Wild Nothing with support from Hannah Jadagu.
Beach Fossils at Brooklyn Steel, Photographed by David Reichmann
New York City local Hannah Jadagu opened up the show with a number of her top tracks, including Think Too Much, Bleep Bloop, and he latest track release, “All My Time Is Wasted.” Having been signed to Sub Pop at 18, Hannah has already amassed more than 100,000 followers on Spotify and only continues to grow. During her set she took the time to thank Beach Fossils and Wild Nothing for bringing her along on the tour, and noted bittersweetly that this was her final show with them. You can listen to her music here.
Hannah Jadagu at Brooklyn Steel, Photographed by David Reichmann
Wild Nothing took the stage next, bringing an upbeat atmosphere and their signature synthwave indie-pop sound. Having last played Brooklyn Steel in 2019 to record their live album, Live From Brooklyn Steel, frontman Jack Tatum mentioned how special this venue is to him, thanking the crowd for coming out. The crowd danced and swayed throughout their set, and the setlist included some of their biggest hits, like Partners In Motion, Paradise, and Shadow (which closed out their set). You can listen to their catalog here.
Wild Nothing at Brooklyn Steel, Photographed by David Reichmann
Local Brooklyn legends Beach Fossils entered to an already-fired-up crowd, with Van Halen’s “Jump” playing over the speakers as they walked onstage. They wasted no time jumping into their extended 16-song setlist, playing numerous fan favorites from throughout their catalog. They opened with “This Year,” followed by their hit single “Sugar.” Some notable tracks include “Down The Line” (their most-streamed song to date, with nearly 2.4 million views on Youtube), “What A Pleasure,” “Sleep Apnea,” “Out In The Way” (performed with Wild Nothing), and “Daydream” as the closer.
Beach Fossils at Brooklyn Steel, Photographed by David Reichmann
Beach Fossils have a new record coming out, “The Other Side of Life: Piano Ballads,” which you can pre-order on vinyl here and listen to here when it releases on November 19th.
The Flaming Lips returned to Brooklyn last night for the first of two shows at Bushwick’s Brooklyn Steel. Only the second stop on a world tour, the band returns to the live stage following the pandemic with dates across the US, Canada and the UK into next summer. Special guest and Flaming Lips collaborator Particle Kid provided opening support, featuring a guest appearance by Sean Ono Lennon.
The Flaming Lips at Brooklyn Steel, 11/8/21. Photo by Buscar Photo
The tragedy of the Astroworld festival last week has not only shocked so many people, but has also changed the mindset of performers and venues alike. Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne began the show with a long speech on the topic, urging fans to look out for everyone around them, promising that they would stop the show in the event someone needed help. He addressed the desire of so many to let their emotions run loose at shows, and he reminded us all that we can still “go crazy” in a good and positive way. This motif continued through the show, with breaks between songs and bright house lights to make sure everyone was safe.
The Flaming Lips at Brooklyn Steel, 11/8/21. Photo by Buscar Photo
The Flaming Lips released their debut record Here It Is in 1986, and have cultivated an extensive discography ever since. Back in 2020, the band released their sixteenth studio album, American Head via Warner Records. For Record Store Day 2021, the band released The Soft Bulletin Companion on vinyl for the first time ever. The rare recordings are B-sides and early mixes that accompany the band’s early breakthrough record The Soft Bulletin.
The Flaming Lips at Brooklyn Steel, 11/8/21. Photo by Buscar Photo
One surprise nugget for the evening was the live debut of deep cut “Assassination of the Sun” off the band’s 2003 EP Ego Tripping At The Gates Of Hell. Afterwards, Wayne addressed the crowd, telling them about his ecstasy seeing a room full of fans enjoy a song they’ve never heard played live. Other essential tracks played included the epic “Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, Pt. 1,” “Do You Realize??,” and “She Don’t Use Jelly.”
The Flaming Lips at Brooklyn Steel, 11/8/21. Photo by Buscar Photo
The tour continues with another show tonight at Brooklyn Steel, plus two more New York shows. They’ll be playing on November 12th in Syracuse at Crouse-Hinds Concert Theater, and then in Albany on November 13th at The Palace Theatre. Check out the full run of dates on Song Kick and see our Brooklyn Steel night 1 photo gallery below. Wayne Coyne also has his own cannabis brand, Love Yer Brain, available now.
Jukebox The Ghost brought their HalloQueen special to Bushwick’s Brooklyn Steel on Saturday October 30, 2021 for the bands largest headlining show to date. The show featured a Halloween costume competition, musical standup comedy, a full Jukebox The Ghost set, as well as a full set of 14 Queen cover songs. Jukebox has been around since the college indie boom of the mid 2000s, but vocalist Ben Thornewill thanked the crowd multiple times for making it the bands biggest show of their career.
Jukebox The Ghost at Brooklyn Steel, 10/30/2021. Photo by BuscarPhoto
Opening the show was former SNL cast member Luke Null, who delivered a set of musical stand up comedy dressed as a French Mime, complete with Gene Simmons face paint. Strapped with an acoustic guitar, Null engaged with the crowd while singing and telling mildly inappropriate short stories. He made another appearance after Jukebox’s main set to officiate the costume competition. Members of the band’s crew handed out vouchers to the best dressed fans around the venue, allowing them on stage during the set break. Crowd reaction was the metric for the competition, who settled on the Jurassic Park themed Nedry and dinosaur costume as the winner.
Luke Null, officiating the costume competition. Photo by BuscarPhoto
Jukebox The Ghost took the stage again after the costume competition, all dressed as members of the band Queen. The HalloQueen celebration commenced, and would continue for a 14 song set of Queen cover songs, all performed superbly true to form. Thornewill fully embraced the role of Freddie Mercury, mimicking the body language and posture perfectly, and there was even an handkerchief hanging from the neck of Brian May’s guitar. The crowd fully embraced the moment, belting out a rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody” which culminated in an epic balloon drop.
Jukebox The Ghost at Brooklyn Steel, 10/30/2021. Photo by BuscarPhoto
The show at Brooklyn Steel was the last on the tour for Jukebox The Ghost, who have no more dates scheduled at the moment. The band played their latest single “Cheers!” as well as one other new song, so be on the lookout for new music in the future.
LCD Soundsystem will return to Brooklyn Steel for a 20 show residency, starting November 23rd. Marking the groups first performances since 2018, the run will extend through December 21, for an unprecedented string of shows.
The residency comes on the July announcement from James Murphy that the group was on a ‘full hiatus,’ while on WTF with Marc Maron. At the time, Murphy said:
Right now, we’re on a full hiatus. Because of the nature of the band, when we’re not touring, we’re just, like, back to normal life completely… Everyone does other stuff. Everyone has their own things going on. So for us to put [a new record] together, we just kind of have to decide to do it.
James Murphy
LCD Soundsystem held their now-legendary farewell concert at Madison Square Garden on April 2, 2011, with a live album of the show, The Long Goodbye, being released shortly after.
Murphy spoke to Pitchfork recently on how COVID-19 affected his music:
Not being able to play live was fine because we probably wouldn’t have been able to play live then. And I couldn’t make LCD music. It didn’t seem like the right thing to be doing at that moment for lots of reasons. You know, we’re kind of a party band about a grumpy old guy making songs about music and in the middle of a global pandemic of people dying, and in the middle of Black Lives Matter, it just didn’t seem like, “You know what everybody needs right now? Another snarky LCD Soundsystem record, that’s sort of what the world needs at this moment.”
Tickets for all 20 shows go on general sale Friday, October 8 at 10am ET here, while fan pre-sale will begin on Wednesday, October 6 at 10am ET – learn more here.
LCD Soundsystem 2021 Dates:
November 23-24, 29-30 – Brooklyn Steel
December 1, 3-5, 7-9, 11-13, 15-17, 19-21 – Brooklyn Steel
New Orleans bounce artist, Big Freedia, performed with her usual thunderous energy at Brooklyn Steel on Monday, September 27th. Bounce music is known to be raucous and high energy and Big Freedia did not disappoint, as she showed up with her signature aplomb.
As with my other musicians, Big Freedia’s touring schedule had been on hiatus for the better part of two years. Many in the crowd mentioned that they had been looking forward to this show for quite some time and it reflected in the crowd’s atmosphere, as their eagerness to witness the pioneer of bounce music was palpable.
A 20-year veteran of the bounce music scene in New Orleans, Big Freedia rose to mainstream prominence with vocal cameos on Beyonce’s “Formation” and Drake’s “Nice For What“, two massive hits that exposed her to a wider audience. But, unbeknownst to many is that Post-Hurricane Katrina, Freedia has been known as one of the biggest voices in the regional bounce music scene and maintains and extremely devoted fanbase.
Despite not performing regularly for almost two years, her stage presence has not waned. Right after getting on stage Freedia immediately began flying through several tracks across her several EPs & albums at bone-rattling volume, as she performed nonstop for several records. All the more astounding as she, along with five backup dancers, frenetically went though their choreography. It’s rare to see a performer with such intensity across any genre, but Big Freedia exemplified the spirit and movement of bounce music for a hungry audience. She didn’t let up and neither did the crowd.
Big Freedia is undoubtedly tied to her home state and her success only means more exposure for the region. What was once considered to be a niche regional sound is now being performed for large audiences in major markets. And Big Freedia displayed why it deserves its recognition, and why New Orleans is still a city to be reckoned with musically.
This was not a one-off show for Big Freedia, she will continue touring throughout United States, with more information on her upcoming tour dates available here. Be sure to take a look at the full photo gallery down below!
Modest Mouse wrapped up a four night stay at Bushwick’s Brooklyn Steel on Saturday, August 14th in celebration of their seventh LP The Golden Casket. Providing a different setlist each night, Modest Mouse played a significant portion of the new record along with songs from their entire catalog.
Modest Mouse at Brooklyn Steel, 8/13/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo
The Golden Casket was released this past June, six years since the band’s previous record Strangers to Ourselves came out back in 2015. For nearly a quarter century, Modest Mouse have been making pop-infused indie rock and amassing a devout following. That was on clear display at Brooklyn Steel last week; arguably a smaller venue for the group, but four nights quickly sold out and the audience would have stayed there all night had they kept playing. Even after a 2 hour show with a 6-song encore, barely anyone left the floor until security began ushering the crowd out.
Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse. Photo by Buscar Photo
The new record draws on Modest Mouse’s signature sound, with a more psychedelic edge. Songs like “Leave a Light On” and “We’re Lucky” showcase shimmering guitar and horn loops while “Wooden Soldiers” and “The Sun Hasn’t Left” are reminiscent of Magical Mystery Tour era Beatles. These songs combined with quintessential Modest Mouse indie rock tunes and an artistic theme filled with rainbows and bright colors give The Golden Casket it’s own distinct place in the band’s discography.
Modest Mouse at Brooklyn Steel, 8/13/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo
The lengthy ‘MMXXI’ tour continues with a dense schedule all the way through the end of October. You can find the full list of dates and ticket links on the band’s website HERE. Check out the music video for The Golden Casket lead single, “We Are Between” as well as the full photo gallery from night 3 at Brooklyn Steel below.
As of Monday, August 16th, New York City is requiring proof of vaccination for most indoor activities including concerts, indoor dining and gyms. Depending on the show in question, negative COVID tests may be required in addition to vaccination. Make sure to check the policy of the show and venue in question. You can find Bowery Presents policies HERE.
The Districts wrapped up a four night run at Brooklyn Steel Saturday August 14th in support of Modest Mouse’s MMXXI Tour. We were there for night three; you can see the full photo gallery below.
The Districts at Brooklyn Steel, 8/13/21. Photo by Buscar Photo
For so many bands today, these tours mark the return to the stage after nearly a year and a half pause due to the pandemic. Vaccine and testing requirements are constantly changing, but while this remains in flux, these early concerts have shown that both the fans and artists are eager to get back on tour. Brooklyn Steel was nearly at capacity for The Districts’ opening sets, drawing their own fans out early who were more than ready to get back to live music.
The Districts at Brooklyn Steel, 8/13/21. Photo by Buscar Photo
The Districts released their fourth LP ‘You Know I’m Not Going Anywhere’ back in March 2020, right before COVID-19 would cause mass lockdowns around the world and in the US. These shows, more than 500 days later, are the first time the band has been able to perform the new songs live since their 2020 tour was cut short. Even with the hiatus, the band performed a tight set and did not show any sign of rust.
The Districts at Brooklyn Steel, 8/13/21. Photo by Buscar Photo
The band’s last pre-COVID show ironically was a hometown gig at Union Transfer in Philadelphia. The tour has the band making their return to Philadelphia in December for a show at The Fillmore with Dr. Dog. Check out all of their upcoming tour dates HERE.
As of this week in NYC, proof of vaccination will be required for most shows, including all of Bowery Presents’ venues. Visit their site for more information on acceptable proof of vaccination and individual venue policies.
Modest Mouse announced their return earlier this month with two new singles off their forthcoming album and an extensive US tour. The tour includes an August 7 show at Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, and two stops at Brooklyn Steel on August 11 and 12. Tickets for the tour go on sale Wednesday, May 26 at 10 am local time.
Newly released is “Leave a Light On,” the second single off their anxiously awaited seventh full-length, The Golden Casket, out June 25 via Epic Records. The song finds Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock navigating the existential threat of losing our humanity – and the interconnectedness that comes with it – amidst a constant societal barrage of physical and digital materialism. “Leave A Light On” can be listened to here.
Earlier this month, the band shared the first single “We Are Between.” The song explores the faults that make up each person’s character as it pertains to the wider world. With a hook that will get stuck in your head all day, the band made a great first single choice. “We Are Between” can be listened to here.
Over the past 25 years, Brock has served as indie rock’s resident backwoods philosopher, pondering his infinitesimal place in the world at large and seeking balance in a universe governed by polar opposites. On Modest Mouse’s earliest records, he was surveying the changes in the world’s physical landscape from the windows of the tour van, lamenting the displacement of natural beauty with big-box blights.
The band’s seventh studio album, The Golden Casket, heralds another new chapter in the band’s unpredictable evolution. The albumexplores the degradation of America’s psychic landscape through the glass of the smartphone screen and invisible technology. Brock also touches on a new theme in his life, fatherhood.
Produced with Dave Sardy and Jacknife Lee in Los Angeles and in Modest Mouse’s studio in Portland, the album hovers in the liminal space between raw punk power and experimental studio science. Pre-order/Pre-save The Golden Casket here.
Brewery Ommegang is located on a 136-acre farmstead in Cooperstown, New York and offers tours, tastings, a 100-seat café, a well-stocked brewery store, and a calendar of public events including a summer concert series and a legendary beer festival, Belgium Comes to Cooperstown. For more information visitwww.ommegang.com. To stay up to date follow Brewery Ommehang’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
DSP Shows Presents: Modest Mouse Saturday, August 7, 2021 7:00pm (5:00pm doors). Tickets and a limited number of camping passes go on sale Wednesday, May 26 at 10am and will be available at dspshows.com. To stay up to date follow DSP’sFacebook, Instagram, and Twitter
