Dutch Uncles to launch album at new go karting track

Dutch Uncles to launch album at new go karting track

Dutch Uncles have announced a special event to launch new record Big Balloon (released this Friday on Memphis Industries). The band have partnered with TeamSport, a new go karting facility housed underneath Manchester Arena, for a special race day.

The band have challenged fans, friends and foes to race them on the 550 metre multi-level circuit while the album is blared out on the track’s impressive sound system. The cars are of the silent, electric variety, so racers wont miss a single note of Big Balloon as they reach speeds of up to 40mph. Prizes including signed vinyl albums, Dutch Uncles t-shirts, and tickets to their March shows are up for grabs for the fastest racers.

The race sessions will start at 2PM on Sunday 19th February, and places are strictly limited. Applicants must register their interest in advance by emailing dutchunclesracing@gmail.com .

“None of us have been go karting since a post-tour day out to Blackpool Pleasure Beach about seven or eight years ago,” says Robin Richards. “We haven’t even got our own copies of the new album yet, so we’ll be giving it our all to win those coveted prizes.”

“And I’ve never even had a driving lesson,” adds Duncan Wallis.

Dutch Uncles are masters of the novel album launch: in 2015, O Shudder was launched at a non-league football ground (the band sponsored a match, debuted the album on the stadium’s PA system, and challenged fans to a half-time penalty shootout). And for Out Of Touch In The Wild (2013) they worked with chefs at Manchester burger restaurant Almost Famous to develop a burger in honour of the record.

Big Balloon is released this Friday 17th February on Memphis Industries and can be previewed now via Noisey, who declared “It’s not subtle, it’s soaring, which is it what makes it good.”

Taking musical inspiration from Kate Bush’s The Red Shoes, Low-era David Bowie, some other slightly-less fashionable records belonging to their Dads and the eastern European techno discovered by Richards while working in Ukraine last year, the subjects tackled on Big Balloon include austerity cuts, therapy, fried chicken, paranoia and coming to terms with loneliness. It’s the fifth Dutch Uncles studio album and the follow-up to 2015’s acclaimed O Shudder. Dutch Uncles will bring their unique art-pop manoeuvres to UK venues next month. The run culminates in two special nights at London’s Village Underground and Manchester’s Dancehouse Theatre (on 13th and 15th March, respectively).

DUTCH UNCLES 2017 TOUR

18 February – Manchester, Piccadilly Record (instore / outstore) @ Old Granada Studios
20 February – Nottingham, Rough Trade (instore)
21 February – London Rough Trade East (instore)
22 February – Bristol, Rise (instore)
01 March – Edinburgh, Electric Circus
02 March – Newcastle, The Cluny
03 March – Leeds, The Wardrobe
04 March – Nottingham, Bodega
06 March – Birmingham, Hare and Hounds
07 March – Sheffield, The Plug
08 March – Oxford, O2 Academy2
09 March – Bristol, Fleece
11 March – Brighton, The Haunt
12 March – Southampton, Talking Heads
13 March – London, Village Underground
15 March – Manchester, Dancehouse Theatre
27 – 30 July – Hertfordshire, Standon Calling Festival

All tickets now available from the band’s official website.

Xsnoize Author
Mark Millar is the founder of XS Noize and looks after the daily running of the website as well as hosting interviews for the weekly XS Noize Podcast. Mark's favourite album is Achtung Baby by U2.

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