US indie kingpins Sebadoh thrilled all and sundry when they reformed back in 2007 after a seven-year hiatus, and Australian fans of the lo-fi pioneers were ecstatic when they came Down Under in 2011 touring their classic Bakesale (1994) and Harmacy (1996) albums. Now the evergreen rockers have taken this reunion to a whole new level with the release of their brand new long-player Defend Yourself (Domino/EMI) – their first new studio album in some fourteen years – and the announcement that they’re coming back down to showcase it to their devoted Aussie followers with shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth!
Sebadoh frontman Lou Barlow has shown in recent times with the reunion of his original band, Dinosaur Jr – with whom he played bass in the original incarnation, and who also reunited after a similarly lengthy lay-off before going on to release three strong albums – that he’s adept at shaping second chapters, but no one was expecting such a stellar return to form as Defend Yourself. Recording with long-term cohort and fellow songwriter Jason Lowenstein and new drummer bob D’Amico, the trio unleashed a swag of powerful new songs which hard directly back to their ‘90s heyday in terms of their ragged immediacy and visceral intensity. The new material works perfectly well in the now while clearly owing a debt to the Sebadoh music of yore – the perfect result from every perspective – and reports from their recent US tour stint suggest that it sits brilliantly alongside their classic catalogue in the live realm.
Sebadoh originally began way back in 1986 as a vehicle for Barlow to release the tension he was living as bassist for Dinosaur Jr via a stream of defiantly lo-fi and angsty bedroom recordings, but once he acrimoniously departed the latter band Sebadoh became a full-time concern, going onto become a key player in the fertile indie explosion of the ‘90s alongside such iconic outfits as Pavement, Guided By Voices, Archers Of Loaf and Superchunk. The fact that they’re still releasing powerful and relevant music all these years later is testament to the creative power and musicianship of this pioneering outfit.
So whether you’re a fan from back in the day or a newcomer to the myriad delights of this amazing band and their incredible canon of music, don’t miss Sebadoh this March when they bring the new tunes from Defend Yourself and all of their trusty hits to Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. The ‘90s may be done and dusted as a decade but the music will live on forever!
“Insecurity, guilt, confusion and doggedness–set to winsome melodies or gnarled guitar chords and run through battered equipment–were the makings of some of the best indie-rock of the early 1990s. On Defend Yourself, Sebadoh’s first studio album since 1999, Lou Barlow still has them all.” New York Times
Sebadoh – March 2014 tour
Presented by Handsome Tours, supported by Triple R, FBi, RTR, Tone Deaf
Tickets on sale now from www.handsometours.com
Friday 21st March – Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Saturday 22nd March – Annandale Hotel, Sydney
Sunday 23rd March – Zoo, Brisbane
Tuesday 25th March – Rosemount Hotel, Perth
Web: www.sebadoh.com + www.facebook.com/realsebadoh + www.twitter.com/realSeBADoh
Video: www.youtube.com/artist/sebadoh