The Walkmen to reunite for first shows in nearly a decade

The Walkmen have announced they will reunite next year for their first performances since 2014.

The New York indie rockers – one of several bands that spearheaded the so-called “post-punk revival” of the early 2000s – will play a pair of concerts at Webster Hall in New York City, on April 26 and 27. Tickets for the shows will go on sale this Friday (November 18), with a pre-sale beginning on Wednesday (November 16) at 10am EST. You can sign for pre-sale access here.

In a statement shared on social media announcing the shows, frontman Hamilton Leithauser referenced bassist Peter Bauer telling the Washington Post the band were going on an “extreme hiatus” in 2013.

“I assumed that meant there would be a lot of Monster energy drinks and maybe that red-headed snowboarder guy would be hanging around a lot… but none of that actually happened,” Leithauser joked.

“Instead, in the ensuing years we’ve all worked on a ton of different projects in a ton of different places. Recently, someone sent us a clip of us playing at Irving Plaza from 2003, and it just looked very exciting. So, we’ve decided we’d like to play together again.”

The Walkmen teased their reunion earlier this month, sharing a video on social media that featured archival footage of them performing their signature song, ‘The Rat’.

Bauer announced The Walkmen’s hiatus in November of 2013, with the band playing a farewell show in Philadelphia the following month. “We have no future plans whatsoever,” he said at the time. They performed for the last time before their hiatus in February 2014, with a show in New Orleans.

The Walkmen’s last album together was 2012’s ‘Heaven’. “I don’t think any of us wanted to write another Walkmen record,” Bauer said when announcing the band’s hiatus the following year. “Maybe that will change down the line, maybe it won’t.”

Since embarking on a hiatus, members have all pursued separate creative endeavours. Leithauser, Bauer, guitarist Paul Maroon and multi-instrumentalist Walter Martin have all released solo albums.

Drummer Matt Barrick worked with Fleet Foxes in a touring and session capacity, contributing to their 2017 album ‘Crack-Up’ and playing with the band live. Barrick also formed the supergroup Muzz with Interpol frontman Paul Banks and Josh Kaufman of Bonny Light Horseman, with the trio releasing their self-titled debut album in 2020.

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