Pitchfork

Photos by Akmal Naim

Hey, it's the old pornographers! Longtime studio collaborators Neko Case and Destroyer's Dan Bejar joined Carl Newman and company at Los Angeles' Henry Fonda Theatre last night in a rare live appearance. The Canadian pop maestros-- restored to full supergroup status-- treated the crowd to a set of tunes from their newest LP, Challengers.

(Speaking of challenges and those who accept them, don't forget about the Pornographers' viral video challenge: invent a new dance craze to the tune of a Newman number or a Bejar ballad, and win some prizes!)

The eagle-eyed in attendance might have noticed that usual drummer Kurt Dahle was missing in action. According to the New Pornographers' email newsletter, Dahle just had a baby, so Jon Wurster of Superchunk/Scharpling & Wurster has been filling in. Dahle will be back in action starting September 20 in Paris.

More photos of the Pornographers and openers Lavender Diamond, plus all their remaining tour dates (including a bunch of newly added European ones), below.

And one last item, for all you obsessives: The digital music store Zunior has made a treasure trove of rare Canadian indie rock vinyl available for download, including music by Thee Crusaders, an early band featuring Newman and keyboardist Blaine Thurier.

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS








LAVENDER DIAMOND





THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS


















LAVENDER DIAMOND














New Pornographers:

09-20 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre #@
09-21 Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre #@
09-22 Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater #@
09-24 Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater #@
09-25 Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot #@
09-26 Boise, ID - The Egyptian Theatre #@
09-28 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom #!
09-30 Paris, France - La Maroquinerie
10-02 Berlin, Germany - Mudd
10-03 Oslo, Norway - Cosmopolite
10-04 London, England - Koko
10-11 Edmonton, Alberta - Edmonton Event Center $
10-12 Calgary, Alberta - MacEwen Hall $
10-13 Calgary, Alberta - MacEwen Hall $
10-14 Missoula, MT - University Theater $
10-16 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue $^
10-17 Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theatre $^
10-18 Chicago, IL - The Metro $^
10-19 Chicago, IL - The Metro $^
10-20 North Tonawanda, NY - Riviera Theatre $^
10-21 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre $^
10-22 Montreal, Quebec - Le National $^
10-23 Boston, MA - The Roxy $^
10-24 New York, NY - Webster Hall $^
10-25 New York, NY - Webster Hall $*
10-26 Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero $*
10-27 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club $^
10-28 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel $*
10-30 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse $*
10-31 New Orleans, LA - House of Blues $*
11-01 Houston, TX - Warehouse Live $+
11-02 Dallas, TX - House of Blues $+
11-03 Austin, TX - Waterloo (Fun Fun Fun Fest) $
11-04 Lawrence, KS - Liberty Hall $*
11-05 Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre $*
11-17 Dublin, Ireland - Whelans
11-18 Glasgow, Scotland - Oran Mor
11-20 Manchester, England - Academy 3
11-21 Bristol, England - Trinity
11-22 The Hague, Netherlands - Crossing Border Festival
11-24 Brussels, Belgium - Botanique Rotunde
11-25 Cologne, Germandy - Gebaude 9
11-27 Copenhagen, Denmark - Loppen
11-28 Goteborg, Sweden - Pusterviksbaren
11-29 Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser
12-01 Bergen, Norway - Hulen

* with Immaculate Machine
# with Lavender Diamond
! with Fancey
@ with the Awkward Stage
$ with Emma Pollock
^ with Benjy Ferree
+ with Spoon