In March, Umphrey’s McGee announced a three-night run at the recently opened Brooklyn Bowl in London on June 19-21. The English outpost of the Williamsburg mainstay has slowly been adding a good mix of acts from across the pond including Chromeo, two nights of Gov’t Mule, Galactic and many more bands that you would find on Wythe Avenue.
For Umphrey’s, this three night run marks yet another important step in a monumental summer for the band. On June 10, the band is set to release their seventh studio album, Similar Skin, which is coming out on their recently formed label, Nothing Too Fancy Music.
Furthermore, the band is scheduled for two dozen two-set shows during the summer, something which fans have long since pined for as the band often uses summers to play the festival circuit. With that being said, the band is also likely playing a festival near you with sets scheduled at Bonnaroo, Mountain Jam, Electric Forest, Summerfest, Gathering of the Vibes and many more.
But when it comes to shows across the pond, the band has played relatively few over their more than 15 year career. The band has played Europe 17 times with 12 of those coming at the Melkweg as a part of Jam in the Dam. The band has played London twice, with the most recent show coming in 2008 at the Carling Academy Islington, playing one set before The Disco Biscuits. The last two set show the band played was all the way in 2006 as a part of their March European tour.
But for this trio of shows, with Godsticks the only scheduled opener thus far, the venue will try and recreate the scene from the original venue. From my first visit to the bowl, between the Brooklyn Lager on tap, the phenomenal soundsystem and of course, the fried chicken on the menu, fans making the trek to London will certainly be pleased with the faithful reproduction of the original.
For the band, the familiarity with the venue in Brooklyn will hopefully pay dividends as the group’s seven shows at the New York City venue have all been fantastic. One of my most memorable musical moments happened at the Bowl when I saw my first Umphrey’s show the first night of their four-night run celebrating the release of Death By Stereo, their last studio album.
Tickets for each night of the three-night run will run you 30 quid (those are pounds for the Americans) and a three night pass will run you 90 pounds but you save on some fees. Those can be purchased here. There are also a variety of travel packages being offered through CID Entertainment and those can be found here. I’ll be on hand covering every note, so be sure to look out for reviews of the shows on Live for Live Music.