PSYCHEDELIC ROCK BAND UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA TO PERFORM IN RIGA
Creators of the well-known tracks "So Good at Being in Trouble," "Hunnybee," and "Multi-Love" – New Zealand-born psychedelic dream-weavers Unknown Mortal Orchestra – are embarking on a new tour. Their artistically rhythmic guitar work, lo-fi aesthetics, and signature dreamlike sound will come to life on March 11, 2026, at Palladium Riga.
Tickets go on sale October 3 at 10:00 via Biļešu Serviss. Members of Positivus Festival and the FBI Concert Club will have access to an exclusive presale starting October 2 at 10:00, with codes sent directly to registered users.
The tour follows the release of two records this year under American indie label Jagjaguwar. The latest, "IC-02 Bogotá," continues UMO’s instrumental "IC" series, which began with 2018’s "IC-01 Hanoi." Like its predecessor, the album is a kind of musical travelogue – named after the city where it was created – and has been described as "background music for a strange party or future night drives." Also released this year is the EP "Curse," inspired by Italian horror films of the 1970s and 1980s. Compact but potent, it captures the haunted spirit of our era. The track "Boys With the Characteristics of Wolves" nods to Black Sabbath in its riff-driven intensity, while the EP as a whole offers a subtle soundtrack for the listener’s next confrontation with existential emptiness.
UMO have long been celebrated by outlets like Pitchfork, NME, and Uncut. The band’s 2023 album "V" was praised as lush and expansive, brimming with bittersweet melodies and ranked among frontman Ruban Nielson’s finest work. “...this has the feel of a magnum opus, unrelentingly ambitious with just the right amount of self-indulgence,” wrote NME.
Although rooted in psychedelic rock, UMO’s sound often fuses elements of R&B, funk, and soul, weaving rhythmic inertia into their melodies that irresistibly invites listeners to dance. Interestingly, the project began when Ruban Nielson anonymously uploaded the track "Ffunny Ffriends" to Bandcamp, where it caught the attention of Pitchfork. After the outlet reposted the song and attempted to uncover its author, Nielson eventually revealed it was the work of Unknown Mortal Orchestra.
In their nearly fifteen-year career, the band has released multiple acclaimed albums, relocated from New Zealand to the U.S., toured with Grizzly Bear, won awards, and sold out shows worldwide. Now, Riga audiences will finally get the chance to experience Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s lush, cinematic sound in all its fuzzy brilliance.