Art-rock quintet TV on the Radio will take their experimentation on the road later this spring for a round of headlining shows across North America. Following an April 19 appearance at Coachella, the tour launches May 12 at Headliners Music Hall in Louisville, KY.
The band — composed of vocalist Tunde Adebimpe, guitarist David Sitek, guitarist Kyp Malone, bassist Gerard Smith and drummer Jaleel Bunton — has 16 concerts booked for the trek, including the June 8 closer at 9:30 Club in Washington, DC. Along the way, the band will stop May 17 at the House of Blues in Dallas, TX; May 23 at Roseland Theater in Portland, OR; and June 2 at Sound Academy in Toronto, ON, among other dates.
TV on the Radio is touring in support of its fourth album, the 2008 release “Dear Science” that has earned accolades for its innovative instrumentation and deft mastery of dark lyrics. However, the band explained in a statement that beneath the macabre surface of their most recent album is a fun-loving group.
“You know how people always say that comedians are some of the saddest people in the world? Well, the opposite is true, too,” said Adebimpe in a statement on the band’s Web site. “As heavy as some of the songs get, the joking around that goes around between the five of us gets out of control sometimes.”
Malone agreed and pointed to the music of his youth, some of which could be categorized as goth. “It didn’t add to my ‘angst’ as a teenager. I simply identified with something in the music,” Malone said, adding, “It made me feel less alone, you know? If I could be that for someone else, that would make me happy. It’d be a real form of success for me.”
TV on the Radio itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)
| April 18 | Indio, CA | Empire Polo Field @ Coachella Fesitval |
| May 12 | Louisville, KY | Headliners Music Hall |
| May 16 | Austin, TX | Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater |
| May 17 | Dallas, TX | House of Blues |
| May 18 | Oklahoma City, OK | Diamond Ballroom |
| May 22 | Oakland, CA | Fox Theater |
| May 23 | Portland, OR | Roseland Theater |
| May 24 | Quincy, WA | Gorge Amphitheatre @ Sasquatch! Music Festival |
| May 25 | Vancouver, BC | Malkin Bowl |
| May 27 | Edmonton, AB | Edmonton Event Centre |
| May 28 | Calgary, AB | MacEwan Hall Ballroom |
| May 29 | Saskatoon, SK | Louis’ |
| June 2 | Toronto, ON | Sound Academy |
| June 3 | Montreal, QC | Metropolis |
| June 4 | Boston, MA | House Of Blues |
| June 5 | New York, NY | Central Park SummerStage |
| June 8 | Washington, DC | 9:30 Club |
