TORTOISE (USA) 2026 TOUR
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When?
27 May 2026 starting 9:00 am
Who?
What?
Tortoise is widely considered one of the most influential music
groups of the last 40 years, with a wide-reaching impact on
the contemporary music scene. Pitchfork says: “Imagine a
graphic showing all the bands the five members of Tortoise
were in before they came together and then all the bands they
went on to play with after. At the top of the funnel you have
groups ranging from dreamy psych-rock to earthy post-punk
crunch, including Eleventh Dream Day, Bastro, Slint, and the
Poster Children; on the 'post-Tortoise' end are groups
focusing on electro-jazz and twangy instrumental rock like
Isotope 217, Chicago Underground, and Brokeback. In this
graphic, Tortoise is the choke point, the one project that has
elements of all these sounds but is never defined by nor
committed to any of them.
The band, which originally formed in Chicago in 1990,
comprises Dan Bitney, John Herndon, Douglas
McCombs, John McEntire, and Jeff Parker.
Initially hailed as pace-setters of an emergent, cinematic
instrumental evolution of alternative rock, the Chicago
Tribune called Tortoise’s sound “mood music that refuses to
be shoved into the background, as inviting as it is
challenging.
” Releasing just seven albums since 1990 —
including classics like 1996’s Millions Now Living Will NeverDie, 1998’s TNT, and 2001’s Standards —Tortoise has steadily
and intuitively evolved across its life, creating genreless
music that is as timeless as it is ahead of the curve.
The band’s legacy goes beyond its recorded output, as well.
Per the New York Times: “While Tortoise's albums have
experimented with the editing and overdubbing possibilities of
the studio, the band thrives performing in real time.
” Rolling Stone deems Tortoise “a live marvel,” while Pitchfork
further says the band’s performances reveal that “at heart,
they’re a supremely fun band, wide open to all sorts of sonic
possibilities."
With their first visit to Australian shores in 10 years, Tortoise is
set to wow audiences around the country with these select
shows.
____________________________________________We acknowledge that this event is held on the stolen lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to Elders, past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.
groups of the last 40 years, with a wide-reaching impact on
the contemporary music scene. Pitchfork says: “Imagine a
graphic showing all the bands the five members of Tortoise
were in before they came together and then all the bands they
went on to play with after. At the top of the funnel you have
groups ranging from dreamy psych-rock to earthy post-punk
crunch, including Eleventh Dream Day, Bastro, Slint, and the
Poster Children; on the 'post-Tortoise' end are groups
focusing on electro-jazz and twangy instrumental rock like
Isotope 217, Chicago Underground, and Brokeback. In this
graphic, Tortoise is the choke point, the one project that has
elements of all these sounds but is never defined by nor
committed to any of them.
The band, which originally formed in Chicago in 1990,
comprises Dan Bitney, John Herndon, Douglas
McCombs, John McEntire, and Jeff Parker.
Initially hailed as pace-setters of an emergent, cinematic
instrumental evolution of alternative rock, the Chicago
Tribune called Tortoise’s sound “mood music that refuses to
be shoved into the background, as inviting as it is
challenging.
” Releasing just seven albums since 1990 —
including classics like 1996’s Millions Now Living Will NeverDie, 1998’s TNT, and 2001’s Standards —Tortoise has steadily
and intuitively evolved across its life, creating genreless
music that is as timeless as it is ahead of the curve.
The band’s legacy goes beyond its recorded output, as well.
Per the New York Times: “While Tortoise's albums have
experimented with the editing and overdubbing possibilities of
the studio, the band thrives performing in real time.
” Rolling Stone deems Tortoise “a live marvel,” while Pitchfork
further says the band’s performances reveal that “at heart,
they’re a supremely fun band, wide open to all sorts of sonic
possibilities."
With their first visit to Australian shores in 10 years, Tortoise is
set to wow audiences around the country with these select
shows.
____________________________________________We acknowledge that this event is held on the stolen lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to Elders, past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.
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