Better Oblivion Community Center Share “Dylan Thomas” Video, Announce Tour
The Lynchian video was directed by Japanese Breakfast's Michelle Zauner
Photo by Nik FreitasPhoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst are taking their new act on the road, announcing Tuesday that their Better Oblivion Community Center will tour the U.S. and Europe this spring. The unveiling of those dates comes coupled with the video for “Dylan Thomas,” the lead single off Better Oblivion Community Center’s self-titled debut, surprise-released last week and set for a physical release on Feb. 22 via Dead Oceans.
The “Dylan Thomas” video was directed by Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner, who says of its conception:
Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst are two of my favorite songwriters and lyricists of our time, so it was an honor to get to work with them on the visuals for their new project together. As always I worked with Adam Kolodny, my DP and creative collaborator, to bring this cross between an Eyes Wide Shut L.A. mansion party and the Great Northern Hotel to life.
Sure enough, the video finds Bridgers and Oberst showing up to a gig at a swanky establishment—the Better Oblivion Community Center itself—only to find they’ve been booked to perform at what looks like a very genial cult meet-up taking place inside David Lynch’s brain. The musicians and their cultist audience wear blindfolds and VR goggles interchangeably, playing eyeball bingo and doing trust falls, until Bridgers and Oberst come face-to-face with the smirking observer who would appear to be the author of all this oddity. The video ends with the duo doing the only reasonable thing: fleeing the Better Oblivion Community Center without another glance in its direction.
Better Oblivion Community Center begin their spring tour in Tucson, Ariz., on March 8, looping around the U.S. and ending where they began with an April 13 stop in Phoenix. After two weeks off, Bridgers and Oberst hop the pond in late April, beginning their European leg in Helsinki, Finland on April 29 and working their way back west across the continent, ending in Manchester, U.K., on May 12. Christian Lee Hutson will provide support on the tour’s U.S. leg, with Lala Lala joining in as well from March 20 onward.
Watch the “Dylan Thomas” video and Bridgers’ 2017 Paste Studio session below, and find Better Oblivion Community Center’s tour dates further down. You can revisit our recent interview with Bridgers and Oberst here.
Better Oblivion Community Center Tour Dates:
March
08 – Tucson, Ariz. @ Rialto Theater #
09 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ Bunkhouse #
10 – San Diego, Calif. @ Music Box #
11 – San Luis Obispo, Calif. @ Fremont Theater #
14 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Teragram Ballroom #
15 – San Francisco, Calif. @ August Hall #
16 – Portland, Ore. @ Doug Fir #
17 – Seattle, Wash. @ Neumo’s #
19 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ Metro #
20 – Denver, Colo. @ Bluebird # *
21 – Omaha, Neb. @ Slowdown # *
22 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ Fine Line # *
23 – Chicago, Ill. @ Lincoln Hall # *
25 – Cleveland, Ohio @ Beachland Ballroom # *
26 – Pittsuburgh, Pa. @ Mr Smalls # *
28 – Boston, Mass. @ The Sinclair # *
29 – New York, N.Y. @ Bowery Ballroom # *
30 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Music Hall of Williamsburg # *
31 – Providence, R.I. @ Columbus Theater # *
April
02 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Union Transfer # . *
03 – Washington, D.C. @ Black Cat # *
04 – Carrboro, N.C. @ Cat’s Cradle # *
05 – Asheville, N.C. @ Grey Eagle # *
06 – Atlanta, Ga. @ Terminal West # *
07 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Basement East # *
09 – Austin, Texas @ Mohawk # *
10 – Dallas, Texas @ Trees Lounge # *
12 – Santa Fe, N.M. @ Meow Wolf # *
13 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ Crescent # *
29 – Helsinki, Finland @The House of Culture
May
01 – Oslo, Norway @ Rockerfeller
02 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Berns
03 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Vega
05 – Berlin, Germany @ Columbia Theater
06 – Cologne, Germany @ Kantine
07 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
08 – Antwerp, Belgium @ De Roma
10 – Bristol, U.K. @ 02 Academy Bristol
11 – London, U.K. @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire
12 – Manchester, U.K. @ Ritz
(# – support from Christian Lee Hutson)
(* – support from Lala Lala)