Neutral Milk Hotel’s world tour has got to be one of the greatest bits of news for many indie fans. Their 1998 release In the Aeroplane Over the Sea was and still is for many a musical highpoint that resulted in the extensive tour schedule that would ultimately take its toll on frontman Jeff Magnum leading to their indefinite hiatus. Although making occasional appearances with the likes of Elf Power who also collaborated with the late Vic Chesnutt (Dark Developments), it wasn’t until 2010 that Jeff began building up a presence again by playing to smaller audiences. It was in 2012 that he really took off again billing for Coachella and then curating and headlining ATP in the UK. Earlier this year Neutral Milk Hotel announced a reunion tour featuring the original line-up as featured on In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.
The current band website ‘Walking Wall of Words‘ is well worth a visit not least for Jeff’s 30 minute curated shows which feature some brilliantly obscure music from albums such as Ethnic Music Classics 1925-1948, American Primitive – Volume 2 – Pre-war Revenants 1897-1939…it’s definitely worth dipping into.
The current tour line-up is Jeff Mangum, Scott Spillane, Julian Koster and Jeremy Barnes who is of course one half of Folk Radio UK favourite A Hawk & A Hacksaw whose last album You Have Already Gone To The Other World I reviewed here. Their World Tour kicks off this month in Baltimore with Elf Power before hitting the UK and Ireland in May 2014 which includes three nights at London’s Roundhouse…that may seem like a long way to go but if you want to see them I wouldn’t hang back on getting tickets as they are by all accounts flying out.
A beautiful moment (February 16, 2013) – Jeff Mangum and Julian Koster performing a well known encore:
UK Tour Dates
May
16 Dublin, Vicar Street
17/18 Manchester, Albert Hall
19 Glasgow, Barrowland
21/22/23 London, Roundhouse on May 21