Words by Ed King – follow him @EdKing2210
On Sunday 5th July, Washington’s best Trans-Atlantic-loved (and still breathing) Indie Rock group, Modest Mouse, comes to the Birmingham Institute – with support from Hippo Campus + Elle King.
Doors open at 7pm, with tickets charged at £17.50 (advance) – as promoted by SJM Concerts.
Modest Mouse was formed by Isaac Brook (vocals, guitar), Jeremiah Green (percussion) and Eric Judy (bass) in 1993. As the Seattle Grunge sound was taking off, with some help from another Washington state three piece, Modest Mouse carved out their jangly capital ‘A’ Alternative sound with their debut single, ‘Broke’ – released on Sub Pop in 1994, produced by Seasick Steve.
Moving over to another Seattle based Indie label, Up Records, Modest Mouse followed ‘Broke’ with their first album to be released to the world – the sixteen track monster, also produced by Seasick Steve, This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About (1996).
The first fifteen tracks on Sad Sappy Sucker were originally earmarked for Modest Mouse’s debut LP, but didn’t see the light of day until the band had label hoped back to Washington – releasing the 24 track mega monster on K Records in 2001.
Now back on the road with their first studio album in eight years, Modest Mouse released their fifteen track Strangers to Ourselves in March 2015 through Epic Records – the major that’s backed most of the band’s releases since the millennium.
Combining a gut wrenching Punk/Ska charge and some sneaky Calypso, with Garage band meltdowns and the occasional spangle jangly Velvet Underground throwback, alongside a bizarre homage to fashion terrorist (and all round murdering nut job) Andrew Cunanan, Strangers to Ourselves is a diverse return for Modest Mouse.
And with a mammoth summer/autumn tour across America and the UK to promote the LP – Modest Mouse comes to the Birmingham Institute on Sun 5th July, for their first static venue gig on a forty date promotional trail. Nothing, by, halves.
Click on the link/image below and check out ‘Lampshades on Fire’, the first single from Strangers to Ourselves – released in Dec ‘14. And, if my aging eyes don’t lie, see if you can spot the bearded ghost of producers past…
‘Lampshades on Fire’ – Modest Mouse
Modest Mouse comes to the Birmingham Institute on Sunday 5th July, with support from Hippo Campus + Elle King. Doors open at 7pm, with tickets charged at £17.50 (advance) – as promoted by SJM Concerts.
For further gig information, including online tickets, visit http://theinstitutebirmingham.com/listings/upcoming-events/19381/modest-mouse-2/
For more on Modest Mouse, visit http://modestmouse.com/
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For further listings from the Institute, visit http://theinstitutebirmingham.com/listings/
For more from SJM Concerts, visit http://www.gigsandtours.com/
For more from Epic Records, visit http://www.epicrecords.com/home