Pitchfork: British Sea Power Plan International Tour

British Sea Power Plan International Tour
No one I think is in my tree

[Posted Monday, January 12th, 2004 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Now that their bass player has convalesced from the wrist injury he sustained after plummeting from the boughs of a tree (medical experts have speculated that the damage probably occurred when he, you know, struck the ground), the post-punk palimpsest British Sea Power is planning an international tour. What's that? You're stoked on the tour, but also curious about The Incident With the Tree?

According to British Sea Power's website, on November 24th, bassist Hamilton was preparing for a performance at Buckinghamshire Chiltern's Student Union in the usual BSP fashion: that is, by climbing a tree and pruning branches to be arrayed in an aesthetically pleasing manner about the stage. Unfortunately, the particularly lissome branch Hamilton selected to saw off happened to be the same one he was holding on to. Predictable results ensued (though one suspects, weaned on too many Warner Bros. cartoons, Hamilton expected the branch to hold him hovering in mid-air while the rest of the tree toppled to the earth).

The band's soundman filled in on bass while Hamilton was on the mend, but luckily he recovered in time for their supporting slot on a tour with The Strokes, and should be in fine form for this upcoming headlining tour. Come February, British Sea Power will catch the first clipper ship to North American shores and kick off their tour in Canada, wend through the States, then back to Dear Old Blighty for a spate of Eurodates. Here's hoping that bassist Hamilton isn't reading this column-- the downward peristalsis of the following tour dates, so evocative of rapid descent, could aggravate any post-traumatic stress syndrome he may be suffering and place this tour in danger as well:

02-23 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richards on Richards
02-24 Seattle, WA - Crocodile Cafe
02-25 Portland, OR - Berbati's Pan
02-27 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
02-28 Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland
02-29 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo
03-02 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
03-03 Lawrence, KS - Bottleneck
03-04 Columbia, MO - Mojo's
03-05 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
03-06 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
03-08 Toronto, Ontario - Horseshoe Tavern
03-09 Montreal, Quebec - La Salla Rosa
03-10 Boston, MA - TBA
03-11 Providence, RI - TBA
03-12 Philadelphia, PA - Northstar
03-13 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
03-15 Washington, D.C. - Black Cat
03-16 Carrboro, NC - Go Studios
03-17 Atlanta, GA - Echo Lounge
03-18 Austin, TX - SXSW
03-19 Austin, TX - SXSW
03-20 Austin, TX - SXSW
03-21 Austin, TX - SXSW
04-17 Edinburgh, Scotland - The Venue
04-19 Newcastle, England - Newcastle University
04-20 Liverpool, England - Liverpool University
04-21 Sheffield, England - Sheffield Club Zero
04-22 Manchester, England - Manchester Academy
04-23 Birmingham, England - Birmingham Barfly
04-25 Leicester, England - Leicester University
04-26 Norwich, England - The Waterfront
04-27 Bristol, England - Fleece and Firkin
04-29 London, England - Shepherd's Bush Empire