Photos / Recap / Video| Tortoise @ Thalia Hall 1/23/16

Jan 29, 2016

Tortoise kicked off a multi-continent tour on Saturday, a pair of gigs which also celebrated the release of the band's first studio release in nearly seven years, The Catastrophist on Thrill Jockey Records.

It's a record that has already made a strong case for album of the year in January, expansive in depth (as Tortoise typically is) but also in breadth, capturing a number of different looks of this boundary shattering act.

A unique in-the-round stage made an intimate setting -- the crowd was up close and very much a part of the action.

All the better view to witness their collective ease, moving about the stage from instrument to instrument and demonstrating a musical fluidity that kept me anticipating and curious.

Of the show's many highlights was also wine of the biggest curiosities from The Catastrophist: their version of David Essex’s 1973 radio hit "Rock On". Like the record, the live version harnessed this band's unique power.