Kurt Vile playing Europa, opening for the Black Keys on New Years Eve (in Chicago) - 2009 Tour Dates

Kurt Vile (in orange) @ Woodsist/CT Fest on July 4th (more by Tim Griffin)

At [D.C.’s] the Black Cat Backstage [Nov. 5th], [Kurt] Vile ambled through the final date of a month of shows with his three-piece band, The Violators, for what he said was the largest crowd he’d played. Double digits, still — right-sized. He opened the 70-minute set with a solo take of “Peeping Tomboy,” which, like so much of the spectral folk side of his songbook, seemed to waft in from some phantom radio. Even when the combo joined him for the stouter stuff — like “Freak Train,” the self-explanatory centerpiece of his just-released “Childish Prodigy” album — the cacophony was more ethereal than kinetic.

After innumerable self-releases, his songs still sound like their paint’s still wet, which is part of their appeal. It remains to be seen whether they can, or should, expand beyond the cult of sober head-nodders who paid their respects last night. The only person dancing was a British girl whose accent was pitched just-so to be perfectly audible through the din.

“They’re really quite good,” she chirped. Cheers. [Washington Post]

The next show for Kurt Vile and The Violators is a November 17th show at Brooklyn’s Europa. Also on the bill are local freaks Wild Yaks and Pink Reason and lyrical post-punks from NJ Home Blitz. Tickets are on sale.

The gig comes one day before Vile opens for Big Star at Brooklyn Masonic Temple (11/8). Tickets to that appear to be gone.

In non-New York news, Vile will be playing a New Year’s Eve show at Chicago’s The Riviera with The Black Keys. Tickets are on sale. Half of the Black Keys, Dan Auerbach, plays Webster Hall on Wednesday, November 11th.

A flyer for Vile’s Europa show and all upcoming tour dates (in which Vile goes to Europe this December) are posted below…

Kurt Vile – 2009 Tour Dates
Nov 17 Europa Brooklyn, New York
Nov 18 Masonic Temple w/ BIG STAR!! Brooklyn, New York
Nov 19 Iron Horse Northampton, Massachusetts
Nov 20 Swarthmore College//Olde Club Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Dec 08 Maus Habitos Porto
Dec 09 Fragil Lisbon
Dec 10 Primavera Club @ Sidecar Barcelona
Dec 11 Primavera Club @ Wurlitzer Madrid
Dec 12 State X New Forms Festival Den Haag
Dec 13 Twisted Pepper Dublin
Dec 14 The Deaf Institute Manchester
Dec 15 The Lexington (Uncut Night) London
Dec 16 Le Scopitone Paris
Dec 17 Les Ateliers Claus Brussells
Dec 31 The Riviera w/ The Black Keys Chicago, Illinois