The Mountain Goats To Bring Pro-rasslin' Album Down Under For First Trip In Five Years

Prolific Californian indie-folk group The Mountain Goats have announced their first shows Down Under in five years, in support of their 15th studio album, Beat The Champ.

Fronted by singer-songwriter John Darnielle, the trio will begin their Aussie tour in Perth before hitting up Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, as well as an appearance at Australia’s premiere blues'n'roots festival, Byron Bay Bluesfest.
 
Darnielle is renowned for his immersive lyricism and vivid storytelling, which has propelled the band to international acclaim over their 20-year career. Since their formation in 1991, The Mountain Goats have evolved from lo-fi solo recordings to compositionally rich and grandly conceptual albums.

Beat The Champ is full of upbeat and fiery folk backing absorbing narratives about the American Southwest underworld of the pro wrestlers Darnielle idolised as a child.

“I wrote these songs to re-immerse myself in the blood and fire of the visions that spoke to me as a child, and to see what more there might be in them now that I’m grown,” the frontman said in a statement.
 
Darnielle’s talent for poetic observation and writing narratives has also seen him branch out into fictional writing. He released his first novel Wolf In White Van in 2014 and the follow-up Universal Harvester is set for release this coming February.

Their 2017 Australian shows will give fans the chance to experience Beat The Champ along with beloved favourites from The Mountain Goats’ sprawling discography in the flesh.

For full tour dates and ticket links for The Mountain Goats’ upcoming Australian tour, head to theGuide.