Robyn Hitchcock with Sean Nelson

Music Starts:11/04/2007 - 7:30pm

Robyn HitchcockOver the past three decades, Robyn Hitchcock has built a large and distinctive body of work that's established him as one of rock's most respected and beloved iconoclasts. The prolific English singer/songwriter/guitarist's vivid surrealist songcraft has won him an almost cult-like following, and will no doubt attract many more fans with the upcoming release by Yep Roc of I Wanna Go Backwards, a five disc compilation of some of his most pivotal albums from the 1980s. The release of I Wanna Go Backwards coincides with a recent career resurgence during which Hitchcock has released the acclaimed albums Spooked and Ole! Tarantula, and become the subject of the recent Sundance Channel documentary Sex, Food, Death & Insects.

Hitchcock’s incredible thirty-year kingdom of song is built on a foundation of dreamlike, whimsical, tragic comedy and set to gorgeous and slightly askew melodies. In Hitchcock’s universe, adventure rocket ships, exploding, twist-off heads and crawling things are the norm, as are supersonic harmonies and an ever-present chiming guitar sound. Through the years, those heavenly refrains, the harmonicas and the hilarity conspired and drew a blueprint for alternative pop as we know it. Sean Nelson (Harvey Danger, backup singer on the Ole! Tarantula recording) will provide an opening set, and harmonies for some of Robyn's songs.

“…acute observer of love, death and the entire evolutionary continuum…” (New York Times)

"Robyn Hitchcock's songs are a lot like the genetic code: they're tough to crack, but the secret of life is in there somewhere." (Rolling Stone)