Shopping slide into the end of 2019 with one of the sharpest singles of the year – “Initiative.”

Photo by Matt Draper

Shopping announce All Or Nothing, their new album out February 7th on FatCat Records, and present the video for lead single, “Initiative.” Following 2018’s The Official Body, the songs that make up All or Nothing are the band’s boldest yet; confident, elastic, streamlined grooves that crackle with energy and intention. The trio’s vision – deeply queer; political by default – place them in a radical lineage of dance, a continuum connecting disco and post-punk to Chicago house and EDM. 

Storming lead single “Initiative” was written in a Seattle basement. Like the album as a whole, the track thrums with purpose, marking a confident new phase for the band. Referencing  governments who shirk responsibilities but place the blame on individuals, the song has a frustrated groove that’s propelling, motivated by necessity to keep going against the grain. The accompanying video, directed by Jack Barraclough, is brightly-stylized, and stars the band themselves. 
 

Watch Video For “Initiative” – 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Owoq6vVkUs


Though the band members now live countries away from each other – guitarist Rachel Aggs (Trash Kit, Sacred Paws) and drummer Andrew Milk (Current Affairs) in Glasgow and Billy Easter (Wet Dog) in Los Angeles – the trio returned to London for an intense, 10-day period. For All Or Nothing, they teamed up with US-based producer Davey Warsop to record, shifting their stripped-down ethos to one that took a leap into pop production. Talking Heads, YYYs, Bronski Beat and LCD Soundsystem are among the artists to feature on the production inspo playlist the band created for Nick Sylvester, who mixed the record, in Los Angeles.

Along with cleaner, new production values, All Or Nothing sees Shopping experiment further with the sonic additions that coloured The Official Body. Jubilantly ‘80s synths and electronic percussion add new textures to their signature minimalist dynamic. 

Four albums in, Shopping are as committed and focused as ever, regardless of any distance. “We found ourselves singing about being true to yourself, in an often binary and belligerent digital age, and reclaiming agency when it feels like our personal freedom and privacy is constantly eroding.”  In an era dominated by spin and surveillance, All Or Nothing invites us to remember what really moves us, in dance and in life. 
 

All Or Nothing Tracklist:
1. All Or Nothing
2. Initiative
3. Follow Me
4. No Apologies
5. For Your Pleasure
6. About You
7. Lies
8. Expert Advice
9. Body Clock
10. Trust In Us

Shopping Tour Dates:
Fri. Feb. 7 – London, UK @ Rough Trade East
Sun. Feb. 9 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade Bristol
Mon. Feb. 10 – Nottingham, UK @ Rough Trade Nottingham
Thu. March 5 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios *
Fri. March 6 – Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern *
Sat. March 7 – Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore *
Mon. March 9 – Reno, NV @ Holland Project * 
Tue. March 10 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop *
Wed. March 11 – Los Angeles, CA @ 1720 *
Thu. March 12 – San Diego, CA @ UCSD *
Sat. March 14 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress (Spring Thing) *
Mon. March 16 – Sat. March 21 – Austin, TX @SXSW
Mon. March 23 – Tallahassee, FL @ The Bark *
Tue. March 24 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade – Purgatory *
Wed. March 25 – Durham, NC @ The Pinhook *
Thu. March 26 – Washington, DC @ DC9 *
Fri. March 27 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle *
Sat. March 28 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere *
Sun. March 29 – Portsmouth, NH @ The Press Room *
Tue. March 31 – Toronto, ON @ The Monarch *
Thu. April 2 – Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx *
Fri. April 3 – Fort Wayne, IN @ The Brass Rail *
Sat. April 4 – Chicago, IL @ Subterranean *
Sun. April 5 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry *
Tue. April 7 – St. Louis, MO @ Sinkhole *
Wed. April 8 – Lawrence, KS @ White Schoolhouse *
Thu. April 9 – Denver, CO @ Hi Dive *
Fri. April 10 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court *
Tue. May 5 – London, UK @ The Lexington
Wed. May 6 – Paris, FR @ Supersonic
Fri. May 8 – Utrecht, NL @ ACU
Sat. May 9 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow (SkyBar)
Sun. May 10 – Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA Ideal Bar
Mon. May 11 – Berlin, DE @ Urban Spree
Thu. May 14 – Vienna, AT @ Fluc Café
Fri. May 15 – Prague, CZ @ Meetfactory
Sat. May 16 – Munich, DE @ Milla
Sun. May 17 – Bern, CH @ Reitschule/Rössli
Tue. May 19 – Winterhur, CH @ Albani
Thu. May 21 – Luxembourg, LU @ De Gudde Wellen
Sat. May 23 – Offenbach, DE @ Hafen 2

* = w/ Automatic

Pre-order All Or Nothing – 
https://fat-cat.co.uk/release/shopping/all-or-nothing

Keep your mind open.

[Show some initiative and subscribe.]

Shopping announce fall tour dates for North America.

Shopping To Return Stateside For Fall North American Tour
In Support Of The Official Body, Out Now On FatCat Records

Playing Hopscotch, OctFest, Basilica Soundscape, And More

(photo credit: Matthew Williams)

 

“Wiry and urgent, ‘The Official Body’ offers vibrant, chaotic catharsis at an ideal moment.” — Rolling Stone

 

“‘The Official Body’ has such an expansive and warm soul that it forces you reconsider all the wiry clichés associated with post-punk.” — Pitchfork

“…Shopping have opted for one of the most revolutionary forces of all: fun.” — NPR Music 

 

“The 10 tracks here are audacious, funky, and have that element of outsider-cool leftover from the heyday of influences like Delta 5, Gang of Four and ESG.” — Paste

Having wrapped up a short North American tour of the west coast this past summer, which included a triumphant performance at San Francisco Pride to a crowd of nearly 50,000, Shopping – the London/Glasgow-based trio of Rachel Aggs (guitar, vocals), Billy Easter (bass, vocals) and Andrew Milk (drums, vocals) – are thrilled to announce they’ll return stateside next month in support of their most recent album, The Official Body, out now on FatCat Records. Including stops at Hopscotch Music Festival, OctFest, and Basilica Soundscape, the tour will kick off in Philadelphia on Thu. Sep. 6th at PhilMOCA. A full list of dates are below, with tickets on-sale now.
Shopping Tour Dates:
Sat. Aug. 11 – London, UK @ Oslo Hackney
Thu. Aug. 30 – Dorset, UK @ End Of The Road
Fri. Aug. 31 – Baignade Interdite @ Rivières, FR
Thu. Sep. 6 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilMOCA
Fri. Sep. 7 – Raleigh, NC @ Hopscotch Music Festival *
Sat. Sep. 8 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel #
Sun. Sep. 9 – New York, NY @ OctFest %
Tue. Sep. 11 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
Wed. Sep. 12 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz
Thu. Sep. 13 – Allston, MA @ Great Scott
Fri. Sep. 14 – Sun. Sep. 16 – Hudson, NY @ Basically Soundscape &

* = w/ Miguel, Belle & Sebastian, MC50 and more
# = w/ No Age
% = w/ The Flaming Lips, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Girlpool and more
& = w/ Efrim Manuel Menuck, Grouper, Stephen O’Malley’s Un Vide Dans Le Ciel and more

 

Watch/Listen/Share:
Stream The Official Body via Spotify – https://spoti.fi/2KkcdKW
“The Hype” video – https://youtu.be/JnAm6AphanY
“Wild Child” video – https://youtu.be/GWvzFYTPrRw
“Suddenly Gone” video – https://youtu.be/GVcZGVVhfkU

 

Purchase The Official Body:
via Bandcamp – http://bit.ly/2kZQL6Z
via iTunes – http://apple.co/2iBSknm
via FatCat Shop – http://bit.ly/2C3DGO8

Download hi-res album art and press images of Shopping – 

www.pitchperfectpr.com/shopping/

Shopping online:
facebook.com/weareshopping

twitter.com/SH0PP1NG
soundcloud.com/shoppingband

fat-cat.co.uk/artist/shopping

pitchperfectpr.com/shopping

Keep your mind open.

[There’s no need to shop around for other blogs.  Subscribe to this one.]

Live: Shopping, Tyvek, and Ganser – Chicago, IL – March 28, 2018

It’s a bit difficult for me to believe that it took me nearly three months to see some live music this year, but it’s true.  January and February were filled with crazy work schedules that weren’t conducive to making a trip even an hour’s drive away to see any bands or performers.

That all changed with getting to see Shopping, Tyvek,and Ganser at Chicago’s Beat Kitchen two nights ago.  I’d been keen on catching Shopping since hearing their newest album, The Official Body.  I knew nothing about Tyvek and Ganser going in, apart from a few video clips and digital tracks here and there.  Tyvek was loud and brash garage punk.  Ganser was darker and local post-punk.  This was also my first time at the Beat Kitchen.  It’s a nice, small venue, and the food there looked pretty good.

One thing I’ve discovered about Chicago shows is that, for the most part, the set start times are rigid.  Ganser kept up this tradition by starting at promptly 8:00pm.  They played an impressive set to a hometown crowd that included multiple tracks from their upcoming album Odd Talk.  Their stuff was sassy, jagged, and assertive.  Odd Talk should be a fine record based on what I heard at the Beat Kitchen.

Chicago post-punks Ganser.

Up next were Detroit’s / Philadelphia’s Tyvek.  They were as loud and hammering as I’d expected, and throwing saxophone riffs into the mix only made it better.  Lead singer / guitarist Kevin Boyer‘s axe looked like it had been bounced off a few floors and used as a cutting board, and the blaring chords he drew out of it only seemed to confirm my suspicions.

Detroit’s Tyvek.

Shopping had a large crowd by the time they took the stage.  I was glad to see so many people for the U.K. band that had spent most of the last couple months zig-zagging across the U.S.  They had the crowd jumping almost from the first note, and encouraged dancing throughout their entire set.  They sounded great.  Rachel Aggs‘ gets notes of her guitar that jump like water across a hot griddle.  Every song had a bouncing energy to it that was inescapable.  Highlights from the set included “The Hype,” “Wild Child,” and “My Dad’s a Dancer.”

The best way I can sum up their set is by what a woman yelled out from the crowd between songs: “You guys are so fun!”  Bassist Billy Easter said, “Thanks.  It’s fun being up here, too.”

Shopping having a blast.

Shopping set the bar high for live bands to follow this year.  Catch them if you can.  You need to get in on the fun they’re delivering.

Keep your mind open.

Thanks to Andrew Milk, Rachel Abbs, and Billy Easter for singing this gig flyer for me.

[Thanks to Sam McAllister from Pitch Perfect PR for hooking me up with a press pass for the show.]

Shopping announces 2018 North American tour dates.

SHOPPING ANNOUNCE 2018 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
IN SUPPORT OF THE OFFICIAL BODY

NEW ALBUM OUT JANUARY 19 ON FATCAT RECORDS

(photo credit: Matthew Williams)

“The Hype” is Shopping at its best: barbed invective set to a prickly, dancefloor-ready groove.” — Pitchfork

“one of Shopping’s loosest, funkiest songs to date. . . ‘The Hype’ is a great sign of things to come.” — NPR Music
Next month, Shopping are set to release their third full-length album, The Official Body, on January 19th via FatCat Records. The album sees Shopping — comprised of Rachel Aggs (guitar, vocals), Billy Easter (bass, vocals) and Andrew Milk (drums, vocals) — retaining their minimal dance-punk ethos while “amping up the party vibe.” Now they’ve announced they’ll bring the dance party on the road! In March, Shopping will head stateside for a North American tour taking them all across the US and Canada, including stops at both Savannah Stopoverand SXSW. The tour kicks off Thu. March 1st in Boston before heading down the east coast, across the southern states to the west coast, and back to the midwest. A full list of dates are below, with tickets on-sale now.

Watch Shopping’s “The Hype” Video – 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnAm6AphanY

Shopping Tour Dates:
Thu. March 1 — Boston, MA @ Great Scott *
Fri. March 2 — Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre *
Sat. March 3 — Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel *
Sun. March 4 — Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s *
Tue. March 6 — Washington, DC @ Union Stage *
Wed. March 7 — Asheville, NC @ Mothlight *
Thu. March 8 — Savannah, GA @ Savannah Stopover *
Fri. March 9 — Atlanta, GA @ 529 *
Sat. March 10 — New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa *
Sun. March 11 — Houston, TX @ Walter’s *
Tue. March 13 – Thu. March 15 — Austin, TX @ SXSW
Fri. March 16 — El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace *
Sat. March 17 — Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge *
Sun. March 18  — San Diego, CA @ Whistle Stop *
Tue. March 20 — Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room *
Wed. March 21 — Los Angeles, CA @ Resident * #
Thu. March 22 — San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop #
Fri. March 23 — Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar #
Sat. March 24 — Seattle, WA @ Vera Project #
Tue. March 27 — Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
Wed. March 28 — Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
Thu. March 29 — Detroit, MI @ Delux Fluxx
Fri. March 30 — Toronto, ON @ Baby G
Sat. March 31 — Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz

* = w/ French Vanilla
# = w/ Lithics

Pre-order The Official Body:
via Bandcamp – http://bit.ly/2kZQL6Z
via iTunes – http://apple.co/2iBSknm
via FatCat Shop – http://bit.ly/2C3DGO8