LA dreamy, indie alt popsters Siversun Pickups and British indie rockers Foals, both celebrating new albums released last year, are teaming up for a spring tour which brings them to Nashville tonight, May 18 for a performance at The Ryman Auditorium with up and comers Joywave. This is Silversun’s first Music City show in a few years, and Foals’ first ever, making this a can’t-miss pairing of some refreshing, eclectic indie tunes from a trio acts all known for their incredible live shows. Tickets are still available right here, so grab yours now and read on for details below!
SILVERSUN PICKUPS
Hailing from the hip, artistic, and musically rich Los Angeles neighborhood of Silverlake, Silversun Pickups formed more than 15 years ago, though they spent their early years honing their sound and crafting the material that would eventually make up their debut EP, Pikul, and critically-acclaimed first full-length, 2006’s Carnavas. Propelled by tacks like “Lazy Eye,” the album broadened the band’s reach and set them up for an even bigger critical and commercial followup, Swoon, in 2009, subsequently earning a Best New Artist Grammy nod, scoring the band placements in immensely popular rhythm games Guitar Hero and Rock Band, and quickly escalating their status to tour with some big-name acts such as Foo Fighters, Against Me!, Manchester Orchestra, and Ok Go. Brandishing a shoegaze-y, indie, dream pop sound, utilizing layers and dynamic control with a clear love for ’90s alternative, the band have only honed and evolved their style with more recent releases Neck of the Woods and last year’s self-released, Jacknife Lee produced Better Nature, and continue to perform as festival staples, their live show honed from many years on the road. Distinct amidst an increasingly homogenized rock landscape, Silversun Pickups are a constantly evolving, fanatic breath and fresh air, and they’re always top-notch in concert!
FOALS
Formed a decade ago in Oxford, England, Foals have become one of the preeminent live indie acts in the UK, crafting songs not quite like any other artist, and adapting them with an intensity, rawness, and unwavering energy in concert that has to be witnessed firsthand to fully appreciate. After performing and becoming acquainted through various other projects, the quintet’s founding members, all of whom are still in the band, came together in 2005, releasing their first batch of tracks in 2007, and gaining critical buzz and television placements before the release of their debut, Antidotes. Quickly finding fame in their native UK and abroad, Foals have gone on to tour with a whole host of prominent bands, including friends of the site Cage the Elephant, and have become regulars on the festival circuit, as well as tv and radio fixtures. Combining elements of prog, art rock, dance music, math rock, alternative, and more, their eclectic sound is at once primal and progressive, yet pop accessible and harboring mass appeal. Frontman Yannis Philippakis has a knack for blending personal with layered and high-concept lyricism, and he and his bandmates have only improved over the last ten years and four LPs. Their latest, last year’s What Went Down, is a soaring, sonic gut punch, and adds even more fantastic material to Foals’ live repertoire. Surprisingly, this seems to be the group’s first proper Nashville performance, so be sure to turn up and see what they can do!
JOYWAVE
Upstate New Yorkers Joywave have, for the past few years, been generating a massive amount of buzz in the indie scene thanks to the strength of their breakout EP, How Do You Feel?, and debut full-length, How Do You Feel Now? (they also recently recently a comp called Swish, which seems to be something of an attempt to troll Kanye West). Like Foals and Silversun Pickups, they boast a wide range of influences and an affinity for pop-accessible indie rock, however with a slightly more driving, energetic, and electronic-heavy twist. They’re a perfect compliment to this bill, so be sure to show up early enough to catch them!
Silversun Pickups, Foals, and Joywave will perform tonight, May 18 at The Ryman Auditorium. The show is all ages, begins at 7:30 p.m. (doors at 6:30 p.m.), and tickets are available for $35.