Seminal alt-rockers Violent Femmes have announced a Spring tour – performing their ground-breaking, debut, self-titled album, and their sophomore release, Hallowed Ground, from cover to cover during a limited run of shows – coming to Beak and Skiff on Aug. 17.
During these unprecedented performances, the Violent Femmes will start the show by playing their second album, Hallowed Ground, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2024, in its entirety. Following a brief intermission, the band will retake the stage and play their debut record, Violent Femmes, from cover to cover and a few fans- and band-favorites to finish the show.
Serving as a sonic time capsule for the soul, these special shows will capture a pivotal moment in music as Femmes’ lead vocalist and guitarist Gordon Gano wrote the songs for both albums while in high school. The tracks for Hallowed Ground were made long before the release of Violent Femmes however the band wanted to focus on upbeat songs for the debut album and “confuse people” with the more experimental songs on Hallowed Ground.
The result was two unique releases that showcased very different sides of the Violent Femmes. Their eponymous record amplified teenage angst and alienation in the 1980s with such songs as “Kiss Off,” “Add It Up,” and “Gone Daddy Gone.” The mostly autobiographical album would later embody some of the most relatable and enduring anthems of youth – now having sold three million copies worldwide and is still in rotation on today’s top rock stations. Today, it stands as a pillar of an American underground movement and one of the best early examples of alternative rock.
Hallowed Ground incorporated elements of country, gospel, and blues and was a surprise to many critics and fans who were expecting another collection of teen-rage punk songs. They received an eclectic piece of art that fused different genres, sounds, and imagery. Songs like the bold and bluesy “Sweet Misery Blues” and the banjo-fueled “Country Death Song” proved that the Femmes are true to themselves, and stands as a tribute to their resilience, bravery, and unwavering indifference to the scrutiny of the industry. 40 years later, Hallowed Ground continues to mystify and excite listeners.
For the remainder of the ’90s, Violent Femmes continued to record new material. Since then, the band has released ten studio albums including their most recent Hotel Last Resort (2019). Today, Violent Femmes continue to resonate with audiences of all ages.
Upon the band’s 40th anniversary, Pitchfork wrote that “The Femmes don’t signify an era so much as a time of life,” adding that “for young people growing up in the internet age” their music “is part of a shared language.”
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit here.
Violent Femmes Tour Dates:
Dates subject to change.
May 1 The Warfield San Francisco, CA
May 3 The Cuthbert Amphitheater Eugene, OR
May 4 Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, BC
May 5 Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, BC
May 7 MacEwan Hall Calgary, AB
May 8 Winspear Centre Edmonton, AB
May 10 Burton Cummings Theatre Winnipeg, MAN
May 11 Outdoors @ Fargo Brewing Fargo, ND
May 12 The Palace St. Paul, MN
May 14 Val Air Ballroom Des Moines, IA
May 15 Peoria Civic Center Peoria, IL
May 16 Murat Theatre at Old National Centre Indianapolis, IN
May 17 Riverfront Live Cincinnati, OH
May 18 Masonic Cathedral Theatre Detroit, MI
June 20 Kresge Auditorium Interlochen, MI
June 21 Ravina Chicago, IL
June 22 Columbus Bicentennial Pavilion Columbus, OH
August 14 The Pines Theater Northampton, MA
August 17 Beak and Skiff Lafayette, NY
