Neutral Milk Hotel have announced that they will reunite to play their first live shows since 1999.
The band have been on hiatus since their last studio album – 1998’s In The Aeroplane Over The Sea and its subsequent tour. Aside from a 2001 live album and a 2002 album of Bulgarian music, the band have been keeping a low profile – although singer Jeff Mangum played a string of solo dates in 2010 and curated ATP at Butlins in Minehead in March last year (2012).
In a bizarre statement on their website, the band announced five dates in the US and Asia, promising “more to come”. As yet no UK dates have been announced. Accompanying the announcement, a cryptic statement reads:
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The touring line-up will consist of Mangum, Scott Spillane, Julian Koster, and Jeremy Barnes.