The Disco Biscuits kicked off their touring year with a weekend of shows in the Pacific Northwest where they immediately got busy with the debut of a new song, “Under Ur Spell”. The debut arrived during the band’s second of two nights at Revolution Hall in Portland last Saturday.

Per the Biscuits Internet Project, “Under Ur Spell” originated from the “Shem-Rah Boo” jam on September 7th, 2024 at the Mishawaka Amphitheater in Bellvue, CO. The new track debuted out of a healthy 16-minute “Confrontation”, with drummer Allen Aucoin keeping a steady pace on the transition. Guitarist Jon “Barber” Gutwillig‘s repeated guitar notes and keyboardist Aron Magner‘s synth phasers form the song’s retro instrumental hook, as Barber’s lyrics describe an enchanting femme fatale and fast cars. The band capped the debut at a modest ten minutes before a reprisal of “Confrontation” closed the set. “Under Ur Spell” would appear again two shows later at the Senator Theatre in Chico, CA, where it was again held to a lean ten minutes.

Other highlights from The Biscuits’ first weekend of the year included a dyslexic “Save the Robots” spread across two nights at Revolution Hall, with the ending played on Friday and the beginning stretched out for half an hour on Saturday. On Friday, the band nodded to their 2024 Halloween show during “Freeze” with teases of “Also Sprach Zarathustra” from 2001: A Space Odyssey, which The Biscuits scored live at The Caverns. Other big jams on “The Wormhole” and “Risky Business” on Saturday, “7-11” and “Country Royale” on Friday, and “Svenghali” and “Mindless Dribble” on Thursday got the band’s year off to a great start and will warrant revisiting as the tour progresses.

Check out live videos of The Disco Biscuits in Portland by nicastronaut and photos from Seattle and Portland by photographer Dave Vann. The band’s tour continues with dates throughout the Western United States into early February. Find tickets and tour dates on the band’s website and Ticketmaster. nugs subscribers can follow the tour online with audio of each show and subscriber-exclusive livestreams of select performances. Not a nugs subscriber? Start with a seven-day free trial. [Editor’s Note: Live For Live Music is a nugs affiliate. Ordering your nugs subscription or purchasing a download via the links on this page helps support our coverage of the world of live music. Thank you for reading!]

The Disco Biscuits — Revolution Hall — Portland, OR — 1/17/25 — Full Show

The Disco Biscuits — Revolution Hall — Portland, OR — 1/18/25 — Full Show

Setlist: The Disco Biscuits | Showbox | Seattle, WA | 1/16/25

Soundcheck: Grass Is Green, Fire Will Exchange, In The End We Have Forever, Humuhumunukunukuapua’a

Set One: Svenghali [1] > 42 > I-Man > 42 > Svenghali
Set Two: Grass Is Green > Fire Will Exchange [2] > Mindless Dribble > I-Man > Grass Is Green, To Be Continued
Encore: Portal To An Empty Head

[1] with ‘Liquid Handcuffs’ (Conspirator) teases
[2] inverted

Setlist: The Disco Biscuits | Revolution Hall | Portland, OR | 1/17/25

Soundcheck: Abraxas -> Under Ur Spell

Set One: We Like To Party [1] > Freeze [1] [2] > Kamaole Sands [3] > The Deal > Save The Robots [4]
Set Two: 7-11 > Country Royale > Ring the Doorbell Twice [3] > The Deal [5] > Digital Buddha [6] > 7-11
Encore: Digital Buddha [6] [7] > Also Sprach Zarathustra

[1] unfinished
[2] with ‘Also Sprach Zarathustra’ (Strauss/Deodato) teases
[3] inverted
[4] ending only
[5] with ‘Country Royale’ teases
[6] dyslexic (ending first, then beginning)
[7] with ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ samples

Setlist: The Disco Biscuits | Revolution Hall | Portland, OR | 1/18/25

Soundcheck: Another Spin -> One Chance To Save The World

Set One: The Wormhole > Spacebirdmatingcall [1] > Confrontation [2] > Under Ur Spell [3] > Confrontation
Set Two: Save The Robots [4] > Voices Insane [5] > Risky Business > Dino Baby > Helicopters [6]
Encore: Helicopters [6] > We Like To Party [7]

[1] inverted
[2] Techno version
[3] FTP (tDB Original); based on 9/7/24 HAB -> Shem-Rah Boo Jam
[4] dyslexic completion of 1/17/25 version
[5] unfinished
[6] dyslexic (ending first, then beginning)
[7] completion of 1/17/25 version