We at Sub Pop Records are quite pleased with ourselves in announcing that Melbourne rockers, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, have joined our ever-growing family. Now let us get on with never shutting up about them, as follows:

Born from late night jam sessions in singer/guitarist Fran Keaney’s bedroom and honed in the thrumming confines of Melbourne’s live music venues, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever began to take shape as audiences got moving. Sharing tastes and songwriting duties, cousins Joe White and Fran Keaney, brothers Tom and Joe Russo, and drummer Marcel Tussie started out with softer, melody-focused songs. The more shows they played, the more those driving rhythms that now trademark their songs emerged. Since then, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever rode that wave from strength to strength. Touring around the country on headline bills and festival slots, they entrenched themselves with their thrilling live shows.

[Photo Credit: McLean Stephenson]

In early 2016, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever released Talk Tight, their first EP. That effort put the group on the map with glowing support from SPIN, Stereogum, and Pitchfork, praising them as standouts even among the fertile landscape of Melbourne music. Chock full of snappy riffs, spritely drumming and quick-witted wordplay, Talk Tight was praised by Pitchfork “for the precision of their melodies, the streamlined sophistication of their arrangements, and the undercurrent of melancholy that motivates every note.”

“Julie’s Place,” the first single off Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever’s forthcoming EP (out in 2017, and premiered via Stereogum on Nov. 2), levels up on everything that made Talk Tight such an immediate draw. It’s about being young and dumb but full of bravado. Sprinting guitars mimic singer Keaney’s pangs of heartache, his awkwardly sensual lyrics calling to mind the chaos and confusion of being around someone you can’t get off your mind.

You can (and should) follow Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever everywhere in the known universe… and also via their Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Twitter .

Clipping’s “Shooter,” a standout from Wriggle, the group’s summer EP, now has an officially official video (as seen above) directed by the massively talented Carlos Lopez Estrada. 

1/3 of Clipping - William Hutson - had this to say about it, “Since the beginning of the band, we had discussed making a dance video for one of our songs but didn’t think we could actually pull it off. When Voltaire Wade-Green offered to choreograph something for us, we jumped at the chance to work with him and the other dancers (all of whom were Hamilton ensemble members at the time). He and Carlos conceived the video together based on the scenarios of gun violence depicted in the song’s lyrics, and managed to match the cheery tone of the song to the seriousness of its themes.” 

[Photo Credit : Brian Tamborello]

The band also just added European dates to its 2016 tour schedule in support of Wriggle, and Splendor & Misery, their Sci Fi-Dystopian concept record released last month. The new dates begin December 9th in Brussels at M4 and end December 20th in London at Corsica Studios. The tour will include stops in Tel Aviv, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, and more. Clipping is currently in the midst of an east coast co-headline a tour with Youth Code (through November 4th). The group will also perform on Conan on TBS Thursday, November 17th.  Current tour dates are below.

Frankly, there is no shortage of Clipping related news we can’t shut up about. On their recent Seattle visit, Clipping sat for an interview with the Sub Pop Podcast, where they discussed art, intention and believe it or not, killer conference papers [listen here].  Frontman Daveed Diggs is also the current cover star of FLOOD Magazine’s 5th issue [view here]. And late last week, Clipping delivered “Fat Fingers,” a new, anti-Trump song for 30 Songs, 30 Days campaign [listen here]. 
 

Splendor & Misery is available now on CD/LP/DL/CASS worldwide from Sub Pop [here] and Deathbomb Arc [here]. For proof that this album is actually “fire” as the kids say, see/hear: “Baby Don’t Sleep,” “A Better Place,” and “Air ‘Em Out”.  The also excellent (also pretty fire) Wriggle EP is available from Sub Pop right over here.

Tour Dates + Ticket Links
Nov. 01 - St. Petersberg, FL - Local 662 *
Nov. 02 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl *
Nov. 04 - Austin, TX - Sound on Sound Festival
Nov. 17 - Los Angeles, CA - CONAN (TV appearance).
Dec. 09 - Brussels, BE - M4
Dec. 10 - Tilburg, NL - Incubate / 013
Dec. 12 - Tel Aviv, IR - Gagarin
Dec. 13 - Amsterdam, NL - Sugar Factory
Dec. 14 - Hamburg, DE - Hafenklang
Dec. 15 -  Berlin, DE - Cassiopeia
Dec. 16 - Frankfurt, DE - Zoom
Dec. 17 - Munich, DE - TBA
Dec. 18 - Düsseldorf, DE - FFT Foyer
Dec. 19 - Paris, FR - TBA
Dec. 20 - London, UK - Corsica Studios
* w/ Youth Code
^ World War (fka Mincemeat or Tenspeed)

November 1, 2017 – It is with a heavy heart that The Afghan Whigs are announcing two special performances of their classic album Black Love in its entirety in New Orleans and Los Angeles along with performances from other artists. (For fans who cannot attend either show, we encourage you to donate to Dave Rosser’s medical fund here: https://www.gofundme.com/daverosser).

Long-time Afghan Whigs, Gutter Twins and Twilight Singers guitarist Dave Rosser was recently diagnosed with inoperable colon cancer.

 
“Dave Rosser has been my close friend and bandmate for over a decade now,” Greg Dulli commented.  “By doing these shows for him we hope to ease any financial stress he may face as he pursues treatment to combat his illness.  100% of the proceeds for these shows will go to his medical care.  I’m hopeful that folks will come out and show their support for Dave who will be performing with us.”
 
The New Orleans show will take place at The Civic Theatre on Saturday December 10th and feature performances from: The Afghan Whigs, Mark Lanegan, Ani DiFranco, Morning 40 Federation, King James & The Special Men, and C.C. Adcock & The Lafayette Marquis along with special guests.
 
The Los Angeles show will take place on December 14th at The Teragram Ballroom featuring sets from: The Afghan Whigs, Mark Lanegan, Moby and Carina Round.
 
Tickets for both shows will go on sale this Friday, November 4th.
 
For fans who cannot attend either show, we encourage you to donate to Dave Rosser’s medical fund here: https://www.gofundme.com/daverosser

Following the release of their third LP (and Sub Pop debut) Return to Love, and countless miles logged in North America, New York’s LVL UP just announced news of their first ever live dates on “the other side” of the Atlantic, happening Spring 2017. After an appearance at Austin’s annual SXSW fest, for which they were recently announced, the band will be making their way through Europe, taking in nine different countries in the spring of 2017. (Dates below.) Tickets go on sale at 10am Weds 26th October.

Take an existential trip with LVL UP in their latest video for “The Closing Door” right over here.

UK/EU tour dates:

Mar 28th | The Hug & Pint, Glasgow, UK
Mar 29th | Think Tank, Newcastle, UK
Mar 30th | Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, UK
Mar 31st | Gullivers, Manchester, UK
Apr 1st | JT Soar, Nottingham, UK
Apr 2nd | Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham, UK
Apr 3rd | Clwb ifor Bach, Cardiff, UK
Apr 4th | Old Blue Last, London, UK
Apr 5th | Green Door Store, Brighton, UK
Apr 6th | Mechanique Ondulatoire, Paris, FR
Apr 8th | Vera, Groningen, NL
Apr 11th | Lagerhaus, Bremen, DE
Apr 12th | Botanique, Brussels, BE
Apr 13th | Molotow, Hamburg, DE
Apr 14th | Beta, Copenhagen, DK
Apr 15th | Privatclub, Berlin, DE
Apr 17th | B72, Vienna, AU
Apr 18th | Klub Gromka, Ljubljiana, SI
Apr 20th | Gonzo, Zurich, CH
Apr 21st | Pont Rouge, Monthey, CH
Apr 22nd | Le Sonic, Lyon, FR

Follow LVL UP on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bandcamp

It feels like a grunge holiday with all of our cassettes, flannel, and Pearl Jam on display, as the Temple of the Dog reunion/first ever official tour nears. This spirit isn’t limited to the confines of the Sub Pop Store at SeaTac, with the Pearl Jam Poster Exhibit in the A Gates still going strong and Jonathan Poneman’s voice purring from the airport loudspeakers. The festive atmosphere has me so worked up that I am moved to finally release my grunge-themed (stick and poke) tattoo flash sheet to the world. 

[Clockwise from #DocMartens: #Flannel #Utilikilt #MotherLoveBone #Mudhoney #Spoonman #Punky #PearlJam]

Next month, starting November 4, the Temple of the Dog tour starts in Philadelphia and spans New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles before concluding where it all began, here in Seattle. In order to best draw attention to ourselves (while still promoting the tour) I’m pulling out the 21st century version of a business card, the “hashtag,” to help get everyone as excited about this tour as I am. I’ve done my best to use the following hashtags to welcome you all into our big old, grungy, Sub Pop Jamily:

#MotherLoveBone #DocMartens

Temple of the Dog was a tribute band organized by #Soundgarden lead singer, Chris Cornell, to honor Andrew Wood, the lead singer of #MotherLoveBone, following his heroin overdose. Several of the surviving members of the band, along with guest vocalist, Eddie Vedder, went on to form Pearl Jam and came to Sub Pop with their first single. We opted to pass and have been kicking ourselves with #DocMartens ever since.

#Flannel

Now with #Flannel ! We finally have our collaboration with Altamont Apparel in store! Denim jackets, flannel and skate decks while supplies lasts!

#PearlJam

It is impossible to overstate how much easier it is to draw/visualize #PearlJam than a dog temple.

#Utilikilt

For everyone who saw Braveheart but couldn’t say goodbye to pockets.

#Mudhoney

In 2013, Seattle favorites #Mudhoney played an entire set on top of the Space Needle. Mark Arm, our fearless warehouse manager, is a friend and former bandmate (in Green River: Ride the Fucking Sixpack!) of Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard of #TempleoftheDog. 

#Spoonman

Our receptionist and artist extraordinaire, Derek Erdman, does an excellent rendition of Soundgarden’s #Spoonman at Karaoke.

#Punky

Follow #Punky to the Sub Pop Mega Mart for all of your Sub Pop needs!

Also please enjoy this video from the magical internet:

Join our/Sleater-Kinney’s very own, Carrie Brownstein, as she grapples with the age-old question: How much Pearl Jam is too much? 

As Chief Jammer at the Seatac Sub Pop Store, I don’t think there is such a thing. Come in and visit us and we’ll let you decide!