Tortoise Announce Two New Zealand Shows

Genre defining post-rock outfit Tortoise are coming to New Zealand for their first shows on these shores since 2001. The long awaited visit comes off-the-back of the instrumental group releasing their seventh studio album The Catastrophist, which came out earlier this year and gives a firm nod to the jazz scene of their hometown Chicago. Here are the details for their upcoming shows...

UnderTheRadar Proudly Present...

Friday 2nd December, Kings Arms, Auckland
Saturday 3rd December, San Fran, Wellington

Tickets available HERE at UTR and instore at Flying Out (Auckland) or RPM/Slowboat Record (Wellington)

Here's the video for 'Yonder Blue' featuring Georgia Hubley from Yo La Tengo on vocals...

And here's a playlist of singles/videos from their releases since 1996...

PRESS RELEASE:

LIFE IS NOISE PRESENTS:

TORTOISE (USA)
AUS/NZ TOUR
DECEMBER 2016

LIFE IS NOISE is extremely excited to announce the return of Tortoise to Australian and New Zealand shores, this December.

The Chicago instrumentalists will be bringing their genre-defining ‘post-rock’ to Auckland, Wellington, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

It is easy to forget that the now sprawling umbrella category of ‘post-rock’ meant nothing before Tortoise and their ilk introduced the nineties to the expansive potential of the genre. By infusing their unpretentious prog rock stylings with elements of jazz, dub, punk and Krautrock, the band invented a slow-burning form of instrumental music that, as it turned out, kickstarted the Wolverine of all musical genres. - The Quietus

One of the most significant forces of the post-rock movement, Tortoise, is back.

After 25 years together—and a seven year break between albums—the quintet have returned with one of their most interesting, intelligent and improvisational recordings to date, The Catastrophist.

Born from entirely different origins to their previous six releases, The Catastrophist was sparked by a commission from the City of Chicago to develop a series of pieces inspired by their hometown’s storied jazz and music scenes.

The enjoyability of The Catastrophist is in this leap of faith, the idea that no mold is beautiful enough to remain unbroken, even if its new shape may be foreign and strange. - Pitchfork

The Catastrophist marks a subtle change for the band, with more cohesive elements amongst their usual penchant for experimentation, plus the notable addition of vocals making their debut on select tracks. Featuring guests from Yo La Tengo and U.S Maple, The Catastrophist reveals a new direction for the band that is more mature but still doesn’t stray from their trademark atmospheric guitars and opulent percussion.

The quintet, elder statesmen of the post-rock/indie-rock crossover movement since the mid ‘90s, sounded like they had three coats of wax on their sound through the entire evening. All five musicians navigated around the various stations on stage (including two drum sets and two vibraphones) in a round robin of showmanship and talent, all in a silent confidence communicated through raised eyebrows and head-nods. - Consequence Of Sound

Tortoise live is an experience in itself. Utterly entrancing from start to finish, their set is an epic journey—from the devastatingly quiet moments to crushing and emotional highs. Splicing everything from dark energy, stilted beats and cold electronics with jazz, prog, indie and more organic ties—the musical landscape they create is not to be missed.