THE DARTS (US) ‘SNAKE OIL’ TOUR HITS LONDON ON THURSDAY. DONNE-MOI TOUT!
LONDONPEAKY favourites, Phoenix-based garage punk outfit THE DARTS (US) make a triumphant return to London this Thursday (13th) on the back of a mammoth ‘Snake Oil’ European tour, a tour which began in March.
“I never thought we would ever sell out anything in our lives, but this tour so far has sold out shows in Madrid, Cherbourg, Manchester, North Shields and London,” said band founder, Nicole Laurenne.
“The current tour is about 100 shows in total, and we’ve spent around three and a half months on the road. Paris will be the last show on this tour and that should be the 100th show if I am counting right.”
The band are currently performing as well ever, the previous issues with finding a permanent drummer solved, leading to a visible sense of cohesion, permanence, and of unity.
“We have definitely cured the drummer issue!” adds Laurenne, “Although it took a little while to find the right fit, we now have the incredible Mary Rose Gonzales behind the skins.
“She came up to me after her band opened for us in Chicago years ago and offered her services if we ever needed a sub. I called on her a couple of months before we recorded ‘Snake Oil,’ and not only did she learn the entire album but also a whole hour-long live set, all by working with me over video from thousands of miles away. That’s the way The Darts like to work – you do your homework and show up for the tour ready to go with basically no rehearsals beforehand!
“We are also super honoured to have Paris guitarist Louise Sordoillet subbing in when Meliza is unable to tour; just like Mary Rose, she learns everything on her own by video with me and then literally shows up for the first tour date ready for the first downbeat. It’s an amazing team right now, and the women in this band blow my mind every day. The band just cooks, like never before.
“The past 12 months have been a wonderful whirlwind of activity for The Darts. We released the EP ‘Love Tsunami’ (2022, Adrenalin Fix Music / Dirty Water Records / Beluga Records / Ghost Highway Recordings) last summer and immediately headed across the US and Europe for a ton of shows. We also played on KEXP, which was a special honour, despite some crazy bouts of covid during the tours.
“And after getting back from Europe last October, we finalized recordings, masters, and music videos for our next full-length, ‘Snake Oil,’ working closely with Jello Biafra and his Alternative Tentacles Records. Once that was done, and while we waited for the vinyl to be manufactured during the winter, we headed back into the studio and recorded another new full-length album which we hope to release in Spring of 2024!”
Life on the road during such a lengthy tour can test even the hardiest of souls, but there are also advantages to be found.
“I take inspiration everywhere,” added Laurenne. “In fact, I am constantly writing new songs on my laptop in the van. Just wrote one inspired by the Apocalypse tapestries in Angers France that will for sure be recorded some day in the future.
“And yes, we are hoping for an amazing remainder of the year, but honestly, we are already having way too much fun and seeing the world together just like we originally set out to do in this band. With another new record next Spring, things are only going to get crazier. We hope!”
The Darts (US) play London’s ‘WATER RATS’ venue on Thursday night, for ticket details click here:
The Darts (U.S) w/ Jo-Jo & The Teeth + The Molotovs – The Water Rats (thewaterratsvenue.london)
Connect with The Darts (US) online:
Music | The Darts (US) (bandcamp.com)
