5019
Timothy S. Griffin

Yautja touring w/ Cult Leader, playing Grand Victory (dates)

by Doug Moore

Yautja at the Invisible Oranges SXSW showcase, 2014 (more by Tim Griffin)

Nashville’s Yautja put out their killer first album back in February, and the band recently wrapped up a batch of dates in support of it. I saw them live something like five times before and during their busy SXSW run, which included an appearance at the Invisible Oranges showcase. The sludge/grind fusion these guys turn out on record is more than engaging, but live, their material becomes cartoonishly heavy. They’re a must-see band.

Yautja are teaming up with another exciting (but somewhat less new) band for a North American tour: Cult Leader, who are effectively Gaza with a different name and vocalist. The two are pretty much a perfect fit — both pair fiddly high-tempo acrobatics with giant doom slowdowns, and both do best in person, where you can feel those grooves shake the floor. (Assuming that Cult Leader have retained Gaza’s ridiculous low-end firepower.) The joint tour will hit NYC at The Grand Victory on 5/16; they’ll be joined by well-suited locals Tiger Flowers and Divider. You can buy tickets here; chances are good that this one will sell out.

Check out each band’s full run of dates below. Their tours don’t match up perfectly, so make sure to check both bands’ schedules if you live outside of NYC…

Yautja — 2014 Tour Dates:
4/03/2014 TBA – Knoxville, TN
4/04/2014 MACRock – Harrisonburg, VA
4/05/2014 TBA – Louisville, KY
4/06/2014 TBA – Kansas City, MO
4/07/2014 Bar Bar (Carioca Cafe) – Denver, CO
4/08/2014 Baby Haus – Laramie, WY
4/09/2014 TBA – Salt Lake City, UT
4/10/2014 The Crux – Boise, ID w/ Cult Leader
4/11/2014 New Frontier Lounge – Tacoma, WA w/ Cult Leader
4/12/2014 Laughing Horse – Portland, OR w/ Cult Leader
4/13/2014 100th Monkey Café – Chico, CA w/ Cult Leader
4/14/2014 TBA w/ Cult Leader
4/15/2014 Aladdin Jr – Pomona, CA w/ Cult Leader
4/16/2014 51 West – Tempe, AZ w/ Cult Leader
4/17/2014 The Naylair – El Paso, TX w/ Cult Leader
4/18/2014 Red 7 – Austin, TX w/ Illustrations w/ Cult Leader
4/19/2014 TBA w/ Cult Leader, Illustrations
4/20/2014 Three Links – Dallas, TX w/ Cult Leader, Illustrations
4/21/2014 The Conservatory – Oklahoma City, OK w/ Cult Leader
4/22/2014 TBA – St. Louis, MO w/ Cult Leader
4/23/2014 TBA – Memphis, TN w/ Cult Leader
5/05/2014 Cafe Coco – Nashville, TN w/ Cult Leader
5/06/2014 The Forge – Birmingham, AL w/ Cult Leader
5/07/2014 TBA – Atlanta, GA w/ Cult Leader
5/08/2014 TBA – Tallahassee, FL w/ Cult Leader, Ex-Breathers
5/09/2014 Churchill’s – Miami, FL w/ Cult Leader
5/10/2014 Uncle Lou’s – Orlando, FL w/ Cult Leader
5/11/2014 Tin Roof – Charleston, SC w/ Cult Leader
5/12/2014 Milestone – Charlotte, NC w/ Cult Leader
5/13/2014 Strange Matter – Richmond, VA w/ Cult Leader
5/14/2014 Sidebar – Baltimore, MD w/ Cult Leader
5/15/2014 TBA – Philadelphia, PA w/ Cult Leader
5/16/2014 The Grand Victory – Brooklyn, NY w/ Cult Leader
5/17/2014 O’Brien’s – Allston, MA w/ Cult Leader
5/18/2014 AS220 – Providence, RI w/ Cult Leader, Tinsel Teeth
5/19/2014 The Lair – Buffalo, NY w/ Cult Leader
5/20/2014 Mr. Roboto Project – Pittsburgh, PA w/ Cult Leader
5/21/2014 Yonka House – Detroit, MI w/ Cult Leader

Cult Leader — 2014 Tour Dates:
4/10 Boise @ The Crux
4/11 Tacoma @ New Frontier Lounge (Bleak Outlook)
4/12 Portland @ Laughing Horse
4/13 Chico @ 100th Monkey Cafe
4/14 TBA*
4/15 Pomona @ Aladdin Jr
4/16 Tempe @ 51 West
4/17 El Paso @ The Naylair
4/18 Austin @ Red 7 Indoors w/ Illustrations
4/19 TBA* w/ Illustrations
4/20 Dallas @ Three Links w/ Illustrations
4/21 Oklahoma City @ The Conservatory
4/22 Albuquerque @ Gasworks (WITHOUT YAUTJA)
4/23 Las Vegas @ TBA (WITHOUT YAUTJA)
5/02 Denver @ Bar Bar (WITHOUT YAUTJA but w/ Call of The Void and Reproacher)
5/03 Kansas City @ Art Closet Studios (WITHOUT YAUTJA)
5/04 Louisville @ TBA (WITHOUT YAUTJA)
5/05 Nashville @ Cafe Coco
5/06 Birmingham @ The Forge
5/07 Atlanta @ TBA
5/08 Tallahassee @ TBA w/ Ex-Breathers
5/09 Miami @ Churchill’s
5/10 Orlando @ Uncle Lou’s
5/11 Charleston @ Tin Roof
5/12 Charlotte @ Milestone
5/13 Richmond @ Strange Matter
5/14 Baltimore @ Sidebar
5/15 Philadelphia @ TBA
5/16 Brooklyn @ The Grand Victory
5/17 Allston @ O’Brien’s
5/18 Providence @ AS220 w/ TINSEL TEETH
5/19 Buffalo @ The Lair
5/20 Pittsburgh @ Mr. Roboto Project
5/21 Detroit @ Yonka House
5/22 Chicago @ TBA (WITHOUT YAUTJA)
5/23 Minneapolis @ TBA (WITHOUT YAUTJA)
5/24 Des Moines @ Vaudeville Mews (WITHOUT YAUTJA)