polica-mhow

Polica played Bonnaroo/Bowery/MHOW, keep touring, released a new video & their Lesley Gore cover cover (listen)

by Johnny Zachman

Polica @ MHOW (photo by brittjewelrygetsome)
Polica

Polica wrapped up their most recent North American tour with two sold out NYC shows: Bowery Ballroom on Monday and the one I saw last night, June 17th, at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

I had last seen the Minneapolis foursome at Webster Hall shortly after their latest record, Shulamith, was released – and was surprised to hear singer Channy Leaneagh confess in the middle of that show that it was one of the worst concerts the group had ever played. For the record, Polica, who played Bonnaroo over the weekend, still sounded great at Webster, but they sounded even better last night. As was to be expected, the band was far more comfortable with the new material on stage, weaving flawlessly through the Shulamith-heavy setlist that showcased almost all of the bonus edition’s tracks, including an encore-closing performance of John Madara and David White’s “You Don’t Own Me” (a song made famous by Lesley Gore), which served as a fitting complement to the “just let me be free” attitude that run’s through so many of the band’s anti-relationship lyrics. Listen to a studio-recorded version of that cover of a cover below.

The setlist also included three songs from the group’s 2012 debut album Give You The Ghost (“Amongster”, “Dark Star” and “Lay Your Cards Out”) as well as a brand new song towards the end of the set. As always, the sonic combination of two drum sets, bass guitar, distorted synths and Channy’s affected soulful vocals offered a refreshing change from typical rock aesthetics – and the group was in fine form throughout the night, paying strict attention to dynamics and nailing every change with remarkable ease. There’s always a lot to watch at a Polica concert – between Channy’s flowing dance moves and the carefully planned intricacies in Ben and Drew’s drum patterns – and I could have easily gone for another 75 minutes of music as the band’s set drew to a close.

Polica begins their Glastonbury-included European tour on Saturday as we eagerly await more NYC shows and recordings, hoping the band continues to push things forward through their unique approach to music. You can also catch them this year at ACL. on the just-announced lineup of Treasure Island, and at one of the many dates listed along with their new video for “Raw Exit” and the “You Don’t Own Me” stream, below…

“””You Don’t Own Me” is a cover by Lesley Gore released in 1963. We’ve been playing this song live for the past year on all the Shulamith tours. “You Don’t Own Me” says all the things I try to say in my own songs: it’s one of the most lyrically perfect songs I’ve ever heard and Lesley Gore delivers it like no other can, so thanks to her for being and thanks to you for listening.” –Channy Leaneagh

Polica — Raw Exit

Polica — 2014 Tour Dates
Jun 21 – Southside Festival – Stodtlen, GER
Jun 22 – Hurricane Festival – Scheesel, GER
Jun 24 – Strom – Munich, GER
Jun 25 – Zakk – Dusseldorf, GER
Jun 27 – Glastonbury Festival (John Peel Stage 4pm)
Jun 27 – Glastonbury Festival (William’s Green Stage 8pm)
Jun 28 – The Old Market – Brighton, UK
Jun 29 – Down The Rabbit Hole – Ewijk, NDL
Jul 26 – 10 Thousand Sounds Festival – Minneapolis, MN
Aug 2 – Visions Festival – London, UK
Aug 3 – Rivierenhof – Antwerp, BEL
Aug 4 – Taubchenthal – Leipzig, GER
Aug 6 – Oya Festival – Oslo, NOR
Aug 7 – Way Out West – Gothenberg, SWE
Aug 9 – Flow Festival – Helsinki, FIN
Aug 11 – Train – Arhus, DEN
Aug 12 – Palmengarten – Frankfurt, GER
Aug 14 – Rescue Rooms – Nottingham, UK
Aug 15 – Green Man Festival – Crickhowell, UK
Aug 16 – Belgrave Music Hall – Leeds, UK
Aug 30 – Bumbershoot – Seattle, WA
Sep 30 – Norman, OK – Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art
Oct 1 – St. Louis, MO – Old Rock House
Oct 2 – Little Rock, AR – Juanita’s
Oct 3 – Dallas, TX – Trees
Oct 4 – Austin, TX – ACL Fest
Oct 6 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
Oct 7 – Birmingham, AL – The Bottletree
Oct 8 – New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jack’s
Oct 9 – Houston, TX – Fitz
Oct 11 – Austin, TX – ACL Fest
Oct 13 – Tucson, AZ – Club Congress
Oct 14 – San Diego, CA – The Casbah
Oct 15 – Santa Barbara, CA – SOHO
Oct 16 – Los Angeles, CA – Roxy
Oct 17 – Los Angeles, CA – Roxy
Oct 19 – San Francisco, CA – Treasure Island Festival
Oct 21 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir
Oct 22 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir
Oct 23 – Boise, ID – Neurolux
Oct 24 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban
Oct 25 – Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre
Oct 26 – Aspen, CO – Belly Up Aspen