Pitchfork: Antony & the Johnsons Kick Off Tour Tonight

Antony & the Johnsons Kick Off Tour Tonight

What's a New York City-based band to do after shocking the European music world by winning the UK's Mercury Prize, an award that is supposed to be limited to Irish and British bands? Get the fuck out of Dodge, that's what. Even though the creative force behind Antony and the Johnsons was born in Chichester, England, some seem to feel that the prize was won on a bit of a technicality. No matter; after pissing off the British, it's best to delicately remove oneself from a situation. Have you ever seen Mary Poppins kill a man with that umbrella? It's disturbing.

So after outpacing the likes of Kaiser Chiefs, M.I.A., and Mr. Gwyneth Paltrow's Coldplay on the strength of their recent I Am a Bird Now, Antony and all of his Johnsons will be scouring the U.S. and Canada with their eerie and beautiful indie-cabaret, emoting in beerhalls, dive bars, and shebeens continent-wide...actually, to be honest, mostly just in big-ass concert halls. Cocorosie will tag along for most of the dates.

In other Antony news, as we reported last week, the band has collaborated with Boy George on a version of John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" for the Help: A Day in the Life album benefiting children who live in war zones. This isn't the first time the two have worked together, as they recently shot a video for forthcoming Bird single "You Are My Sister". Those tour dates:

09-15 Vancouver, British Columbia - St. Andrew's-Wesley Church
09-16 Portland, OR - PICA Event
09-17 Seattle, WA - Triple Door *
09-20 San Francisco, CA - Palace of Fine Arts *
09-23 San Diego, CA - San Diego Women's Club *
09-28 Boston, MA - Paradise
09-29 Montreal, Quebec - Cabaret La Tulipe *
10-01 Toronto, Ontario - Trinity @St. Paul's Centre *
10-03 Detroit, MI - Gem Theatre *
10-04 Chicago, IL - Park West *
10-06 Minneapolis, MN - Woman's Club Theatre *
10-07 Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater *
10-13 New York, NY - Carnegie Hall

* with Cocorosie