× The Sadies tour Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, UK and Ireland in April and May

The Sadies tour Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, UK and Ireland in April and May

12-11-2018

The cover of The Sadies’ latest album is a powerful image of the northern lights made by photographer David Kilabuk in Pangnirtung, Nunavut, a sight few of us will ever get to behold with our own eyes. Yet, the awe-inspiring natural beauty and mystery captured in the photo are an ideal reflection of the music contained within. No further embellishment seems necessary.

That’s been the essence of The Sadies’ story ever since the quartet comprised of singer/guitarists Dallas and Travis Good, bassist Sean Dean and drummer Mike Belitsky first exploded onto the North American scene 20 years ago. Back then there was still something called “alt-country,” a catchall for artists striving to carry on traditions with punk rock attitude. The Sadies certainly fit that description, but the breadth of their skills and musical knowledge was unparalleled since a group of fellow Torontonians left Ronnie Hawkins in the mid-‘60s to take a job backing Bob Dylan.

As the aurora borealis shifted with each album The Sadies made, the overall picture took on more defined colours. On top of that was the incredible list of collaborations—Neko Case, R&B legend Andre Williams, The Mekons’ Jon Langford, Jon Spencer, Robyn Hitchcock, John Doe, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Gord Downie, Neil Young for fuck’s sake!—each one pushing The Sadies’ own sound into new, unmapped territory. Eventually, more time was taken in between albums as focus shifted to their original songwriting, and what was once the best live band in Canada became the best band in Canada, period. 

Given all of their associations and tireless touring regimen, it can seem at times as if The Sadies are everywhere, all the time. Yet, they are a band that fans cling to like a closely guarded secret, with each new release fulfilling the promise to reach further, for all of our sakes, not just their own. With Northern Passages, the time has come to make room for more on this wild acid-folk-country-punk trip, and trust me, we’ll be better off because of it.

The Sadies tour Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, UK and Ireland in April and May:

25/04: Hamburg (DE) @ Monkeys 
26/04: Rotterdam (NL) @ Rotown 
27/04: Deventer (NL) @ Des Konings Trio / Burgerweeshuis 
29/04: Amsterdam (NL) @ Paradiso Noord 
30/04: Maastricht (NL) @ Muziekgieterij 
01/05: Lessines (BE) @ Roots & Roses 
03/05: Brighton (UK) @ Hope and Ruin 
05/05: Kilkenny (IRL) @ Kilkenny Roots 
06/05: Kilkenny (IRL) @ Kilkenny Roots 
08/05: Bristol (UK) @ The Hen & Chicken 
09/05: Newcastle (UK) @ The Cluny 2 
10/05: London (UK) @ The Borderline 

Related artist: The Sadies back