Archers Of Loaf Playing New York In June

Well, this is awesome: it looks like January's impromptu reunion was more than a one-off for the Archers Of Loaf. Word has just come over the wire that the band will play two New York shows in June.

On June 25th and 26th , the band will play the Music Hall of Williamsburg and Webster Hall, respectively. While this doesn't have the media hype of, say, last year's Pavement reunion, we have to say, we're just as psyched. While Eric Bachmann's solo work is totally killer, we are definitely down to hear AOL rock out. See you there.

Tickets go on sale this Friday at 9 AM eastern.

mp3: Archers Of Loaf - Web In Front

Crooked Fingers Coming To Brooklyn, Archers Of Loaf Reunited (Video)

Crooked Fingers at Great American Music Hall, from the HAD Archive

Eric Bachmann must be looking for a steady fix of NYC these days: after visiting Mercury Lounge in December, Crooked Fingers will be returning in February. This time the band will be playing Brooklyn, at the always-lovely Bell House. The show is on the 19th, and we certainly encourage you to make an appearance - we have yet to see a Crooked Fingers show that we didn't love. What's more, the band's web site has news of them wrapping up recording on a new record, so we're guessing this will be your first chance for a taste of the new material. Tickets are on sale now.

If that's not enough Bachmann-centric news for you, we'll do you one better: last week in North Carolina, Bachmann's old band Archers of Loaf entered into a spontaneous reunion, much to the joy of all present. Some kind soul was kind enough to grab some video from the front row, and so we have for you the fantastic takes on "Wrong" and "Web In Front". For even more video awesomeness, head to mumblepop's YouTube page.

mp3: Crooked Fingers - I Am Not Willing (Moby Grape Cover)

Pulp To Reunite In Summer 2011

We know, we know, we're just subjecting you to an echo of the internet's collective yammering about the latest hypetastic reunion, but frankly, we couldn't resist. The fact that Pulp is reuniting next summer caused a collective "Fuck yeah!" around these parts, and we couldn't be more excited.

Currently the band is only slated to play two shows, one in Hyde Park, and one in Spain. That being said, we're hoping they'll take the "our reunion is a tour" route, and at least give us a taste of Pulp for the duration of the summer. That would be very nice. Very nice indeed. Check the official announcement below.

mp3: Pulp - Mis-Shapes

Dismemberment Plan Reunite

Okay, we're a little late to the party on this one: apparently the memo came trhough about a week ago. That being said, just in case you missed it (like we did), here's the down low: Dismemberment Plan will be appearing at Webster Hall on January 30th of next year.

This isn't entirely unheard of, as the band have reunited for one-offs in the past. Apparently this one is another one (or rather, five) off, and is to celebrate the forthcoming reissue of Emergency & I. What remains to be seen is whether it would indicate a greater end to Travis Morrison's self imposed musical hiatus.

As huge fans of Travis and the band, we couldn't be happier to see this occurring, even if the haters think it's way too much of a nostalgia (or ego!) trip for the band. The fact of the matter is that these are some great tunes that people are psyched to hear, so why not enjoy it while you can? See you out there!

Dismemberment Plan Emergency & I Reunion Tour

Fri, January 21st Washington, D.C @ Black Cat
Sat, January 22nd Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
Thu, January 27th Philadelphia, PA @ The Starlight Ballroom
Fri, January 28th Boston, MA @ Paradise
Sat, January 29th New York, NY @ Webster Hall

mp3: Dismemberment Plan - The Ice Of Boston

Guided By Voices Push Reunion Beyond Matador Fest

You may recall that we mentioned a Guided By Voices reunion at the upcoming Matador fest in Vegas. Well now word has leaked out that the band has reconvened for an entire reunion tour, and it's a doozy. Covering a good portion of the US (although more focused on the East Coast) the tour will see the band hitting the road for the first few weeks in October.

For New Yorkers that means a tour-closer at Terminal 5, while San Francisco will see a show at The Warfield early on in the tour. Big-ish venues, yes. Most of these shows go on sale this week (dates and some passwords below), and they're sure to sell like hotcakes, so get on it!

Guided By Voices Reunion Tour 2010
9/30 | East Side Drive | Austin, TX | On Sale 7/16 at 12pm
10/3 | Pearl Theatre | Las Vegas, NV
10/4 | Wiltern | Los Angeles, CA | Pre-sale date TBA
10/5 | Warfield | San Francisco, CA | On sale 7/23 10am-10pm password “bee thousand”
10/7 | Crystal Ballroom | Portland, OR | On sale 7/20
10/9 | Showbox So Do | Seattle, WA | On Sale 7/26 at 10am
10/12 | First Avenue | Minneapolis, MN | On Sale 7/16 at 12pm
10/13 | The Vic | Chicago, IL | On Sale 7/24 at 10am
10/15 | Southgate House | Newport, KY | On Sale 7/16 at 10am
10/16 | Outlands Live | Columbus, OH | On Sale 7/16 10am
10/21 | 9:30 Club | Washington, D.C. | On Sale 7/17 at 10am
10/22 | Cat’s Cradle | Carrboro, NC | On Sale 7/16 at 10am
10/23 | Buckhead Theater | Atlanta, GA | On Sale 7/24 at 10am
11/4 | Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
11/5 | Paradise | Boston MA | On Sale 7/17 at 12pm
11/6 | Trocadero | Philadelphia PA | On Sale 7/17 at 12pm
11/7 | Terminal 5 | New York City, NY | On Sale 7/23 at 12pm

Setlist, Videos Surface From Pavement Reunion

Yes, it's finally really happening, and not just as a press release: videos of the Pavement reunion tour surfaced after the band played their first show, in Auckland, New Zealand. While the temptation to scream like little girls is pretty overwhelming, we're going to restrain ourselves and instead hook you up with two tidbits: the first is a nice video montage, above. The second is the setlist from the show, provided by the same kind soul. If you thought this summer was going to be awesome, you were very, very right.

Pavement 02-28-2010: Auckland, New Zealand

--

In The Mouth A Desert
Trigger Cut
LSH
Shady Lane
Father To A Sister
Rattled By The Rush
Perfume
Summer Babe
Kennel D
Silence Kit
Range Life
Unfair
Stop Breathing
No Life Singed Her / 442
Fight This Gen
Ikea
Box Elder
Grounded
Gold Soundz
Here
Give it A Day
Cut Your Hair
--
Stereo
Spit On A Stranger
Conduit For Sale

Pavement Reunion In 2010

Stephen Malkmus changes a guitar string at Great American Music Hall, from the HAD Archive

While details are still sketchy, it seems to be bubbling out from numerous "reliable sources" (KEXP and Brooklyn Vegan included) that Pavement is set to reunite in 2010. Despite the fact that this has been rumored just about forever, the enormity of it really can't be ignored.

Pavement is a band that not only inspired just about every band you've loved since (Radiohead included, kids), but also never really managed to realize their own greatness in a live setting. Their shows were often discombobulated, and even by the band's own account, not everything they could be. We're really hoping that this reunion news could be the special sauce that brings back the awesomeness, not to mention a new record. Maybe? Please?

While nothing's confirmed, the rumor mill is currently listing 4 shows at Central Park Summerstage 2010, and a possible Coachella spot. Yes. Please.

Blur Play It Safe At Hyde Park Reunion - Setlists

Picture via flickr, courtesy of Stew Dean

We've been getting psyched up for Blur's reunion for months now, and despite the fact that there have been numerous warm up and festival gigs, for some reason it seemed like this weekend's Hyde Park gigs were truly the "real thing". As such, we were psyched to track down the setlists, although in the end we would have liked to have seen things turn out a bit differently.

Not that there was anything wrong with the setlists per se: by all accounts both gigs were totally monumental, and we haven't heard a peep of disappointment from any party that was in attendance. However, from the outside, it seems that the band played it very conservatively.

The sets leaned heavily on older material, with the only newer material being singles. In fact, most of the set was a greatest-hits run through. Now, granted, when you haven't played for almost ten years as a unit, you do have to do a certain amount of head nodding to the past. That being said, one of our favorite bits of Blur is the experimental conflict that arose in the second half of their career.

We're all for poppy goodness (and lord knows Blur are the masters of it), but we have to admit we would have liked to have seen a little bit more of their edgy material. That, and the fact the setlist was identical both days, I mean - come on. Not even a variation for the encore? Still, as they say, beggars can't be choosers, and when it comes to a Blur reunion, we are most certainly that.

Blur At Hyde Park July 2nd and 3rd - Setlist
1. She's So High
2. Girls And Boys
3. Tracy Jacks
4. There's No Other Way
5. Jubilee
6. Badhead
7. Beetlebum
8. Out Of Time
9. Trimm Trabb
10. Coffee And TV
11. Tender
12. Country House
13. Oily Water
14. Chemical World
15. Sunday Sunday
16. Parklife (with Phil Daniels)
17. End Of A Century
18. To The End
19. This Is A Low
--
20. Popscene
21. Advert
22. Song 2
--
23. Death Of A Party
24. For Tomorrow
25. The Universal

Blur Preselling Live Albums Of Hyde Park Reunion

As we mentioned previously, the "true" Blur reunion will take place in Hyde Park at the beginning of July. Now the band has given notice that the two reunion shows will be recorded, and sold to fans as CD's or downloads. Given that the show is on the other side of the pond, we can guess that there'll be a lot of American interest in picking up these tasty morsels. You can preorder at the Blur on-line store now.

Blur Widget Now Features Reunion Video

If our posts earlier in the week with new Blur footage weren't enough for you, we have good news: the Blur widget has added some exclusive vids from the band's second reunion appearance at Rough Trade Records.

We were a tad skeptical of the widget at first, as it seemed like a not-so-subtle marketing ploy. But if the band is willing to add new and free content to it, we're certainly not complaining. To check out the footage, click "Exclusive 2009 Footage" on the widget above, and then click the "next" button. You'll be treated to a rousing version of "Beetlebum" live at Rough Trade. Sadly, it's a partial clip, but until these guys show up stateside, we'll take what we can get!

Videos Of Blur's Reunion Gig Surface

While we realize we're risking obsession by following one Blur post with another, but we frankly think this deserves special attention. An extremely diligent fan managed to tape some fantastic takes from of Blur's reunion gig, and was kind enough to post the show to his YouTube account.

The videos are of fantastic clarity, and offer a truly first person account of the gig from the front row. We've put a taste up above (with Graham grinning furiously) of the band nailing "Charmless Man". While we can't guarantee just how long they'll stay up for, we can tell you that it's worth heading over to user joejoehearn's account ASAP and checking out the rest of the footage.

Seriously guys, the US, please?

Video: Blur - First Reunion Gig

Blur Played First Reunion Gig - Setlist

While, sadly, we weren't in attendance, we were still eagerly watching the newswires for mention of Blur's first comeback setlist. After a hint of a tweet last night by drummer Dave Rowntree, we were pretty sure something pretty good would be coming, and indeed it has.

Last night in Essex the band played a "friends and family" set that ran almost two hours, and should restore any doubts you have that the band is back in a very big way. NME was at the show, and has a great in depth review. Suffice it to say that the setlist spans the band's entire catalog (including Think Tank) and was loaded with a nice blend of singles and album tracks.

We're really hoping this reunion makes its way to the US. Guys, please?

Setlist
--
'She’s So High'
'Girls And Boys'
'Tracy Jacks'
'There's No Other Way'
'Jubilee'
'Badhead'
'Beetlebum'
'Trimm Trabb'
'Coffee & TV'
'Tender'
'Country House'
'Charmless Man'
'Colin Zeal'
'Oily Water'
'Chemical World'
'Sunday Sunday'
'Parklife'
'End Of A Century'
'To The End'
'This Is A Low'
'Popscene'
'Advert'
'Song 2'
'Out Of Time'
'Battery In Your Leg'
'Essex Dogs'
'For Tomorrow'
'The Universal'

Blur's Press Machine Shifts Into Gear

We wouldn't normally be excited to so blatantly regurgitate press material for you, but the fact of the matter is that we're inside of one month of the Blur reunion, and that's got us more than a little stoked. In fact, it's got us completely stoked.

So, for the time being, we'll put aside the obvious commercial crassness of Midlife, and instead point out the band's big media push that started today. Specifically, the band's aged website has been given a massive overhaul to match the reunion, and the widget above has been published so that you can check out "exclusive studio footage". Sure, it's low res, and not terribly compelling beyond that, but frankly: we're so excited we'll take whatever we can get!

Blur Reunion Video Warms Our Hearts

Granted, there's nothing in the video below that we didn't already know. Still, seeing Blur all back together again just makes us that much more excited about the prospect of this summer's reunion shows. We have no idea why NME's preventing embedding of the vid, but ah well. Click below to check it out. We missed you boys!

Video - Blur Reunite! (NME)

Blur Adds Second Hyde Park Date - Tickets On Sale Now

Blur's first Hyde Park date on July 3rd sold out rapidly, and the band has now added a second date on the 2nd. Wow. That was quick. A second concert date? What's next? A tour perhaps? Or maybe a new record? Please? Come on, guys. All this suspense is killing us. You can buy tickets for the new date here, and in the meantime enjoy Cornelius' killer remix of "Tender" below!

mp3: Blur - Tender (Cornelius Remix) (YouSendIt, click through)

OMG!!! WTF?!?!?! Blur have reunited!!!

Okay, we've been waiting to hear this for a long, long, time (9 years to be exact). Apparently Blur have decided they will officially reunite for a July 3rd show in Hyde Park. This will be the first time since 2000 that the band have played as a full (Graham Coxon included) unit. Words don't really suffice at the moment, so, we'll let you bask and/or read for yourself. Tickets go on sale Friday morning, 9 AM (presumably UK time). London, anyone?