KING KHAN AND THE SHRINES Prep Tour

King Khan and the Shrines - Land of the Freak [mp3]

King Khan is reinstating one of his many outfits, as he and The Shrines return to the stage this spring with their "celebrated psychedelic soul big band explosion" on tour, ending with what is sure to be an awe-inspiring show at Coachella. Last year the band released the LP What Is It?!, one of three records King Khan put out in 2009. All dates below.

03-27 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
03-29 Carrboro, NC - Cats Cradle
03-30 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
03-31 Chattanooga, TN - JJ's Bohemia
04-01 Nashville, TN - Exit/In
04-02 Memphis TN - Hi-Tone Cafe
04-03 Birmingham AL - Bottletree
04-05 Austin, TX - Emos
04-06 Dallas, TX - Sons of Hermann
04-08 Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
04-09 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
04-10 Boise ID - Neurolux
04-11 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
04-12 Vancouver, BC - Venue
04-13 Seattle, WA - Neumos
04-15 San Francisco, CA - Bimbos 365 Club
04-18 Indio, CA - Coachella

BLACK LIPS, DEERHUNTER, KING KHAN Played McCarren Pool

With the help of the hilarious, makeshift emcee King Khan, Atlanta invaded McCarren Pool on Sunday with the glorious double punch of Deerhunter and Black Lips. It was a beautiful day for the summer party at the pool and all the bands infused the day with their raw talent and energy.

Black Lips were the headlining band and deservedly so. Their set was the usual chaos and mayhem we've grown to expect. The highlight for sure was the toilet paper fight during "Bad Kids", where King Khan, Bradford Cox and others stormed the stage, decorating the band with rolls of TP, which started flying into the crowd and back again. Check out the video below for the evidence.

Deerhunter were introduced by Les Savy Fav frontman Tim Harrington. The band didn't receive quite as rowdy a reception as the Lips, but their mesmerizing set blistered the adoring crowd with curiosity and intrigue. Bradford Cox led his newly formed version of Deerhunter through new tracks like "Nothing Ever Happened" and "Never Stops", both from the forthcoming album Microcastle, before closing the set out with a mind-altering, extended version of "Strange Lights".

King Khan and The Shrines opened for the two bands with their psychedelic blues funk, but Khan never really left the stage. Instead he constantly altered his costume, a crazy combination of tribal funk and glam androgyny. His pranks only seemed to accelerate throughout the day, most notably during Deerhunter's set when he bared his ass, which served as a sort of vase for a bouquet a flowers. This man is nuts!

Black Lips - Bad Kids (live at McCarren Pool)


Also, the brand new track from Deerhunter, "Nothing Ever Happened"...