LIVE: The Chap Arrive in the United States of America
Last summer, London-based pop quartet The Chap released their third album, Mega Breakfast, on Ghostly. Mega Breakfast contains multitudes, mixing and matching genres with a record collector’s ear and an ADD attention span. Prince-style micro-funk, chorale singing, prog-rock guitar heroics, minimalist electro – it’s all there, executed with precision, care, and a knowing wink. But to call it sarcastic would be to sell The Chap short – really, it’s a half-joking, half-deadly-serious Situationist art project, with moments of severe catchiness and luminous beauty interspersed with self-reflexive jokes about “proper” rock-song material and the absurdity of world music.
Months have gone by since Mega Breakfast dropped, and we’re still delighted, confused, and dancing our asses off. Now The Chap are finally jumping the proverbial pond for their first US tour in history, hitting dates on the East Coast, the Midwest, and in Austin for South By Southwest.
The Chap live experience is something completely different, showcasing the band as a sinewy, Tupperware-tight ensemble (who “look like teachers,” apparently) that combines electronic savvy and instrumental prowess in exhilarating, often hilarious ways. Viciously rocking out one moment and staging dance routines the next, The Chap are the sort of live band that needs to be seen to be believed.
The Chap takes the US:
03.12 Lexington, KY @ The University of Kentucky
03.13 Ann Arbor, MI @ The Blind Pig w/ Nomo
03.14 Hamtramck, MI @ Throwbridge House of Coffee
03.15 Chicago, IL @ Schubas w/ Nomo
03.17 Forth Worth, TX @ Lola’s Sixth w/ Deastro
03.18 Austin, TX [SXSW] @ Club 1808 (8:30pm)
03.18 Austin, TX [SXSW] @ Mohawk (12am)
03.21 Austin, TX [SXSW] @ Urban Outfitters (2pm)
03.24 Atlanta, GA @ Eyedrum
03.26 Poughkeepsie, NY @ Matthew's Mug (Vassar College)
03.27 New York, NY @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
03.28 New York, NY @ Cake Shop w/ Deastro
Download: The Chap - Ethnic Instrument
Download: The Chap - Proper Rock
