The Lemonheads To Play Auckland and Wellington Next Month!
Plus1 are very proud to announce we’ve snared The Lemonheads for two intimate shows next month in Auckland and Wellington, before the band returns home to the US after their Australia tour. Tickets are on immediate sale at plus1.co.nz
Joining them are old friends from the NZ 90s alternative scene – a reformed PASH in Auckland – and fast-rising youngsters Dropper (Wellington).
The NZ shows – at Double Whammy, Auckland on 28 May, and Meow, Wellington on 29 May – will celebrate two of the band’s most beloved albums, It’s a Shame About Ray (1992) and Come On Feel the Lemonheads (1993). Evan Dando and his band will perform both records in full, revisiting the songs that defined an era and continue to resonate decades later.
Featuring classic singles like ‘Into Your Arms’, ‘Big Gay Heart’, ‘It’s About Time‘, and ‘My Drug Buddy’, these albums embody some of the finest moments of ‘90s alternative music.
Tickets from plus1.co.nz
About The Lemonheads
Formed in Boston in 1986, The Lemonheads continue to rotate around the inimitable Evan Dando: eclectic music fan, writer of infectious power pop, and renowned trouble maker.
The album Hate Your Friends arrived in 1987. “Frantic, fitfully exciting with occasional moments of brilliance”, reckoned The Line Of Best Fit, while the following year’s Creator was hailed in the NME as “some American box-bedroom rebel equivalents to The Smiths.”
Lick (1989) completed the monochrome edition of the band and features a patchwork of fresh recordings of old B-sides, covers and a few new songs. “For a plate of reheated leftovers this is pretty tasty.” – The Line Of Best Fit
Atlantic Records snapped up The Lemonheads in the flurry of activity that surrounded the arrival of grunge and, “after three “ramshackle punk” (Select) albums, they released “a treasure of an LP” in Lovey, followed in 1992 by the breakthrough platter It’s A Shame About Ray, with the crossover single ‘Mrs Robinson’ that catapulted Dando into the pages of Interview, Sassy and People magazines.
“This was a band that deftly matched pop sensibility with grunge directness.” BBC
Come On Feel The Lemonheads followed in 1993, with ‘Into Your Arms’ having a lengthy stay on the Billboard chart, and ‘Big Gay Heart’ and ‘It’s About Time’ ensuring that the Dando songwriting legacy was intact.
“The Lemonheads have always been recognised as purveyors of grade-A pop-punk” – Record Collector.
Three years on Car Button Cloth (1996) resumed interest with another eclectic mix of songs that was justly heralded: “In the tuneless climate of sub-Cobain mediocrity that is alternative rock, it’s great to have Dando back.” – Rolling Stone
Then came the wilderness years, a hiatus as such. A period that was broken with Dando touring solo and the release of his excellent album Baby I’m Bored (2002, expanded in 2017), proof positive that his knack for melody hadn’t faltered.
“Dando’s most consistent, thoroughly enjoyable work since The Lemonheads’ 1992 jewel ‘It’s a Shame About Ray’.” – Paste.
Then, there was the lost indie gem Lemonheads in 2006. The band were back together with “A rare gift that should be handled with care.” – Andy Gill, The Independent
Throughout The Lemonheads’ career, Evan Dando’s esoteric pick of songs to cover has dusted off some real gems, the ultimate singalong playlist which manifested itself on a couple of albums, most recently Varshons II (2018), “a love letter to the breadth and talent of rock music, but also to Dando’s sizeable melodic gifts.” – Louder Than War
Evan Dando and The Lemonheads’ adventure continues with new album Love Chant set for release later this year, sparring with guest guitarists J Mascis from Dinosaur Jr and The Bevis Frond’s Nick Saloman,
Dando the songwriter remains gloriously astute. The voice is lower and more brooding but the mood is pin-prick sharp, and the social commentary as barbed as ever.
“Few bands have been able to walk the line between the angst of grunge and the warmth of folk quite as elegantly as The Lemonheads.” – Rolling Stone
“The Lemonheads ability to merge punk rock’s energetic simplicity with lush, melodic hooks is both timeless and influential.” – Pitchfork
“One of alt-rock’s most charming groups” – The Guardian
“One of the most distinctive voices of the ‘90s” – The New York Times
“The Lemonheads delivered perfect pop nuggets with an irresistible, easy-going charm that remains just as potent today” – NME
“One of the most influential bands of the last few decades” – Bandcamp
“It’s a Shame About Ray may be a perfect record” – The New Yorker
The Lemonheads tour details are available from plus1.co.nz
