Kurt Vile & the Violators, Electric Ballroom

Trading in folk-tinged psych-rock, Kurt Vile makes music as affecting as it is affable. His persona is laid-back but never overly flippant; drawling eloquently over warm-hearted psychadelia, he reflects on the vagaries of modern life with wit and poignancy.
A one-time member of indie rock favourites The War on Drugs, Vile released his first solo album Constant Hitmaker in 2008. Since then he’s released a slew of records, most recently 2013’s Wakin on a Pretty Daze. The album found him in fine form, interlacing 70s rock grooves with shambling self-examination.
Vile’s sixth album is due to come out this autumn. A teaser video ‘b’lieve I’m going down…’ shared in anticipation of its release finds the musician wandering the desert amid languid saxophone lines and plonking piano keys. Hinting at stylistic expansion, it’s certainly cause for excitement. Catch Vile and his band the Violators at Camden’s Electric Ballroom on 12^th November.