Fleet Foxes Reveal First Details of 2017 Touring Plans
Fleet Foxes' plans for 2017 remain largely under wraps, but they've started dropping clues — including an early glimpse of where and when fans can expect to see the band on the road.
Continuing the long lead-up to renewed activity that started in April, when singer-guitarist Christian Wargo revealed the group had ended its five-year hiatus, NME reports that frontman Robin Pecknold has been filling fans in on touring plans via social media.
At the top of the list is reportedly the Bilbao BBK Festival in Bilbao, Spain, set to unfold over July 6-8 with a bill that also includes Depeche Mode and Die Antwoord. First reported by a Spanish music website, the news was confirmed by Pecknold, who responded to a fan's query via Instagram. Other dates include "Australia in May, EU in July, US Aug, US October, EU November."
The status of Fleet Foxes' new LP — their first since 2011's Helplessness Blues — remains a little sketchier, but it seems readily apparent that listeners can expect to hear new music before the year is out. As previously reported, they've described themselves as "Alllllmost done" with their next record — part of a musical bounty that's also set to include a solo effort from Pecknold.
Pecknold debuted a few moments from the solo outing in October, describing it as a "'putting babies to sleep/living my truth’ palliative solo album" and noting that the tracks he'd set aside for the record didn't fit the Fleet Foxes album, which he summed up as "kind of crazy/vast." As the poet Tom Petty told us, the waiting is the hardest part, but it looks like it'll soon pay off for the band's fans.
21 Best Alternative Rock Albums of the 21st Century