GoGo Penguin to Play US & European Tour This Fall

GoGo Penguin, the Manchester trio known for their blend of jazz, classical and electronic influences since forming in 2012, have announced their US & European headline tour this fall, in support of their recently announced seventh studio album NECESSARY FICTIONS due out June 20. 

Dates include New York City’s Le Poisson Rouge on October 11, Boston’s Crystal Ballroom on October 14, San Francisco’s Fillmore on Nov and Los Angeles’ El Rey Theatre on November 22 – full dates can be found below.  

Necessary Fictions is a bold new chapter in the band’s evolution and represents a deep dive into identity, authenticity, and transformation. Pre-order now + watch video for “Fallowfield Loops” here. 

Alongside the announcement is the first single “Fallowfield Loops,” a punchy, melancholic, and danceable tribute to their hometown. The accompanying video — directed by pianist Chris Illingworth and bassist Nick Blacka — features evocative visuals of Manchester’s iconic Toast Rack building, the brutalist landmark seen on the album’s cover, and serves as a visual extension of the track’s mood: stark, nostalgic, and full of movement.

GoGo Penguin’s last album Everything Is Going to Be OK (2023) found the band reeling from almost breaking up, a new drummer in the form of Jon Scott (formerly of Mulatu Atsake’s band), coping with the death of family members, grief, the pandemic, and finding solace in the studio as they journeyed through uncertainty, survival and ultimately, resilience. 

With NECESSARY FICTIONS, GoGo Penguin — Chris Illingworth (piano, synths), Nick Blacka (bass, synths), and Jon Scott (drums) — have embraced new textures and ideas more fully than ever before. They are operating from a place of confidence, having truly found their groove with Scott, and Illingworth and Blacka both in their fifth decade, and truly embracing who they are without fear. The album sees them expanding their signature sound, drawing deeper into modular synths, and, for the first time, welcoming other voices into their sonic world.

Tour Dates

June 9 - Antwerp - Jazz Middelheim 
June 23 - Puteaux - La Defense Jazz Festival 
Oct 5 Sun - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater
Oct 7 Tue - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line
Oct 8 Wed -  Evanston, IL - Space
Oct 10 Fri - Ardmore, PA - Ardmore
Oct 11 Sat -  New York City NY - Le Poisson Rouge
Oct 12 Sun - Alexandria, VA - Birchmere
Oct 14 Tue - Boston, MA - Crystal Ballroom
Oct 15 Wed - Montreal, QC - Mtelus 
Oct 16 Thu - Québec City, QC - Palais Montcalm
Oct 17 Fri - Ottawa, ON - NAC Babs Asper Theatre
Oct 18 Sat - Toronto, ON - Koerner Hall  
Nov 12 Wed - Calgary, AB - The Palace Theatre
Nov 13 Thu - Sherwood Park, AB - Festival Place 
Nov 14 Fri - Vernon, BC - Vernon Performing Arts Centre 
Nov 15 Sat - Vancouver, BC - Centre for Performing Arts 
Nov 17 Mon - Victoria, BC - Royal Theatre 
Nov 18 Tue - Seattle, WA - Neptune Theatre
Nov 19 Wed - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater
Nov 21 Fri - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore 
Nov 22 Sat - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
Nov 23 Sun - San Diego, CA - Belly Up
Dec 2 - Manchester, UK - Albert Hall 
Dec 3 - London, UK - Barbican Centre
Feb 3 - Paris, FR - Salle Pleyel

Photo Credit: Mark Gregson