LCD Soundsystem reunited its original line-up last night (March 26) for a special DFA Records anniversary show – check out footage below.
As announced last month, James Murphy and co. threw a party in New York to celebrate two decades of their label. “Anniversaries, schmaniversaries, but given everything we’ve all collectively been through, this feels like a plausible excuse to throw a party. So that’s what we’re doing,” DFA said in a statement.
At the show, the band’s original iteration – Murphy alongside current members Nancy Whang and Pat Mahoney as well as Tyler Pope and Phil Mossman – played two tracks, including a first live airing of 2005 track ‘Give It Up’ in 15 years and a rendition of Harry Nilsson’s ‘Jump Into The Fire’, which was last performed by the quintet at LCD’s farewell show at Madison Square Garden in 2011.
The label was co-founded in 2001 by LCD Soundsystem‘s James Murphy along with Jonathan Galkin and Tim Goldsworthy, and they’ve since released records by the likes of The Rapture and Hot Chip as well as of LCD Soundsystem.
See footage of last night’s festivities below.
In 2022, LCD Soundsystem are holding a Brixton Academy residency is being held to celebrate the “platinum” 20th anniversary of the first time they performed live in London in 2002 at Arthur Baker’s ‘Return To New York’ and Erol Alkan‘s ‘Trash’ parties.
The south London run will now take place from June 27-29 and then July 1-3, with the extra dates being June 27-28. The dates are the band’s first UK shows in over four years and tickets are available here.
In November 2021, the band began their Brooklyn Steel residency, where the band were scheduled to play a run of 20 gigs in New York City.
The news arrived just a few months after frontman James Murphy said that the band were “on a full hiatus”.
Last month, the group then announced that they will play four nights in a row at Philadelphia’s Franklin Music Hall from March 28-31, and four nights at Boston’s Roadrunner from April 3-6.
Earlier this month (March 7), Murphy posted a lengthy update to fans, going into depth on the thinking behind a forthcoming series of mini-residencies to mark their 20th anniversary.
In a social media statement outlining the plans, Murphy expressed his difficulties balancing traditional touring schedules and the recording process. “You invest so much time, energy, and cost into ‘getting ready’ [for a tour] that you wind up touring for ages just to make it worthwhile… then you need a big break again. then you are reluctant to start all over again. it’s a cycle.”
Reflecting on their decision to switch to a long-term residency for their Brooklyn Steel shows, he continued: “We really wanted to stop living like that, so we talked about just playing some shows in New York, since most of us live here, and not making it too big of a deal.
LCD Soundsystem recently appeared on Saturday Night Live where they performed ‘Yr City’s A Sucker’ and ‘Thrills’. They also appeared in a sketch as ‘guardian angels’.