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The New Pornographers - The Former Site Of Tour at Variety Playhouse
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CRITIC'S PICK:
Tues., May 19
New Pornographers, Will Sheff, Variety Playhouse - This Carl Newman-fronted Canadian collective has been fashioning offbeat, folk-inflected indie pop since its debut in 2000. Members come and go, but Neko Case is a regular contributor, appearing on nearly all the band's albums including their tenth - and newest - release, The Former Site Of. It's another terrific set of oblique yet never aloof songs that shape shift without losing their natural slightly skewed charms. Opener Sheff from Okkervil River, a band that traverses similar territory, is a wonderful addition to the bill, especially if he joins the headliners for a few joint tunes. - Hal Horowitz
From the venue:
Over the past 20 years, The New Pornographers have proven themselves one of the most excellent bands in indie rock. They have released nine studio albums, including their classic debut Mass Romantic and their latest 2023’s Continue as a Guest, which marked their debut for Merge Records.
They’ve constantly offered new sonic surprises with every album, and have established themselves alongside modern luminaries like Yo La Tengo and Superchunk when it comes to their ability to evolve while still retaining what made them so special in the first place. Of the newest record, New York Magazine lauded, “The New Pornographers are a massive unit bursting with unique and intersecting talents…the band’s ninth album serves another helping of their signature dish.”
The band's new single "Ballad of the Last Payphone" is out now with a new full-length album slated for release in 2026 – more details to come.
Critical acclaim for The New Pornographers:
“Over the course of their 20-plus-year career, the New Pornographers have often specialized in catchy ambiguity. If leader Carl Newman was just a machine cranking out power-pop tunes, it would get boring. But there’s also a lot of mixed emotions going on under the surface of their studiously nuanced pop-rock formalism—like if Cheap Trick was as quick-witted as Steely Dan, or the Romantics were as thoughtful as R.E.M.”
- Rolling Stone
“Pure, blissfully irresistible power pop”
- NPR Music
“The New Pornographers make catchy, sophisticated alternate-universe hits.”
- Stereogum
The New Pornographers - The Former Site Of To... | 05/19/2026 7:30 PM