Sad bastards, REJOICE (or whatever it is you do in “rejoice-appropriate” situations). As Pitchfork reported recently, ye olde Scottish sadcore duo Arab Strap (a.k.a. those two glum, affable blokes Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton, a.k.a. the band who used to rock me morosely to sleep on the bottom bunk back in my freshman dormitory) have announced their inglorious, non-triumphant return to the concert stage to commemorate their 20th anniversary!
First: yup, it’s been that long since The Week Never Starts Around Here. And, for that matter, it’s actually been a tidy, round 10 years since the band amicably parted ways following the release of 2005’s The Last Romance (although they’ve continued to let rare and unheard stuff trickle out here and there). In fact, Moffat and Middleton made the announcement on Steve Lamacq’s show on BBC Radio 6, during which they claimed having discussed the possibility of reuniting 10 years after the breakup. They even “joked” about fighting over which songs to perform… which actually isn’t very gloomy of them… but I guess I can overlook it.
For now, there’s only three scheduled appearances, but apparently the boys are gonna “see how the shows go and then will weigh whether or not they want to write new music together.” Which makes sense. I mean, when your whole bag is providing an outlet and voice for generations’ worth of worry and melancholia, you can’t make decisions lightly. You gotta take things slow.
Arab Strap reunion:
10.13.16 - London, England - Brixton Electric
10.14.16 - Manchester, England - O2 Ritz
10.15.16 - Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowland Ballroom
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