Scottish indie rock/power-pop greats Teenage Fanclub hit the NYC area this weekend for two shows, as part of their first North American tour in five years. In that time, they’ve released two albums — 2021’s Endless Arcade and 2023’s Nothing Lasts Forever — so there was a lot of new ground to cover. There were a handful of songs from both, including “Home” and “Tired of Being Along” from Nothing Lasts Forever, which opened their set and sounded great. Gerry Love and his many classic tunes will always be missed, but this lineup of the band — including singer/guitarists Norman Blake and Raymond McGinley, plus keyboardist Euros Childs (Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci), bassist Stephen “Sweet Baboo” Black (Cate Le Bon) and drummer Francis McDonald (The Vaselines) — is top notch, and really nail the harmonies crucial to the ‘Fannies sound. Everyone was having fun too, with Norman in particularly good spirits even after his Gibson 335 died on him three-fourths of the way through the set.
As the band played nearby Jersey City’s White Eagle Hall the night before, they mixed up the setlist just a little, giving MHOW “Verisimilitude” and “Metal Baby,” along with many of their classics, including “I Don’t Want Control of You,” “The Concept,” “About You,” and a killer rendition of their debut single, “Everything Flows,” to close out the night. They also played rarity “Middle of the Road” from the Songs for Northern Britain sessions which was only released as a bonus 7″ with the album’s 2018 reissue. No songs from Thirteen or Howdy, though.
Saturday night’s show at White Eagle Hall had a special guest, old friend and collaborator Don Fleming, who joined Teenage Fanclub for “The Concept” and Everything Flows.” You can check out the White Eagle Hall setlist, below.
Euros Childs and Stephen Black are pulling double duty on this tour as openers, depending on the date. For Black, who opened at White Eagle Hall, these are the first North American shows as Sweet Baboo, and Childs (who opened at MHOW) hasn’t toured here since the the late ’00s. Childs’ short set on Sunday was terrific, just him and a keyboard, but he told some funny stories and delighted Gorky’s fans (and there were a few in the audience) with their 1999 single “Poodle Rockin’.”
Check out a few fan-shot videos from Teenage Fanclub’s Music Hall of Williamsburg show, and the White Eagle Hall setlist below.
SETLIST: Teenage Fanclub @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 4/28/2024
Tired of Being Alone
About You
Endless Arcade
Warm Embrace
It’s All in My Mind
Planets
Falling into the Sun
Verisimilitude
Everything Is Falling Apart
I Left a Light On
What You Do to Me
Only With You
Middle of the Road
I Don’t Want Control of You
I’m in Love
It’s a Bad World
The Concept
Encore:
The Fall
Metal Baby
Middle of My Mind
Everything Flows
SETLIST: Teenage Fanclub @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 4/27/2024
Home
Tired of Being Alone
About You
Endless Arcade
Alcoholiday
Did I Say
Back to the Light
Falling into the Sun
Your Love Is the Place Where I Come From
Everything Is Falling Apart
What You Do to Me
It’s a Bad World
I Don’t Want Control of You
I’m in Love
My Uptight Life
The Concept (with Don Fleming)
Encore:
Back in the Day
See the Light
Middle of My Mind
Everything Flows (with Don Fleming)
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Teenage Fanclub have Monday off but play Boston on Tuesday. All dates:
Teenage Fanclub – 2024 Tour Dates
Apr 30 Boston, MA – Paradise
May 01 Montreal, QC – Theatre Fairmont
May 03 Toronto, ON – The Concert Hall
May 04 Ferndale, MI – Magic Bag
May 05 Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
May 06 Minneapolis, MN – First Line
May 08 Denver, CO – Ophelia’s
May 11 Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
May 12 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
May 13 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
May 16 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
May 17 Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom
May 18 Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom