Nineties-era Boston post-hardcore/post-rock/emo/indie band Karate are back, and began their first tour in 17 years with hometown shows on Wednesday and Thursday at The Sinclair. There was also an invite-only warm-up show on Tuesday at a club they played a lot during their original run, The Middle East.
Their two Sinclair setlists were identical, including "Bass Sounds," "Original Spies," "Small Fires," "This, Plus Slow Song," "There are Ghosts," "Sever," "Diazapam," and more. Check out the setlists from both nights and video of "This, Plus Slow Song," "On Cutting" and "First Release" (via Bradley's Almanac) below.
Meanwhile, Karate have been reissuing their albums via Numero Group and they recently announced a five-LP box set, Time Expired, which includes the Unsolved double LP ("including 3 previously unissued period appropriate tracks on an updated Side D"), Some Boots and Pockets albums, plus a first time vinyl pressing of their Cancel/Sing EP, all "annotated by Geoff Farina’s account of the later years and Andy Hong’s insights into the our recording process during this time." That's out September 30 and you can preorder it on Cacophony splatter vinyl and check out the tracklist below.
You can also pick up Numero Group vinyl reissues of Karate's self-titled and The Bed is in the Ocean.
Karate play Brooklyn on Saturday (7/9) at Music Hall of Williamsburg, with Helms opening.
Karate @ Middle East 7/5/2022 Bass Sounds If You Can Hold Your Breath Gasoline Diazapam Small Fires First Release This Day Next Year Original Spies Water Operation: Sand Sever This, Plus Slow Song On Cutting Today or Tomorrow The New Hangout Condition New Martini
Encore: There Are Ghosts ----
Karate @ The Sinclair 7/6/2022 (same setlist for 7/8) 1. Bass Sounds 2. If You Can Hold Your Breath 3. There Are Ghosts 4. Gasoline 5. Diazapam 6. Small Fires 7. First Release 8. Original Spies 9. Water 10. Operation: Sand 11. Sever 12. This, Plus Slow Song 13. On Cutting 14. Today or Tomorrow 15. The New Hangout Condition 16. New Martini
encore: 17. This Day Next Year 18. ---- (aka Melnea Cass)
attachment-karate-time-expired
Karate - Time Expired tracklist: A: Unsolved 1 Small Fires 2 The Lived-But-Yet-Named 3 Sever
B: Unsolved 4 The Roots And The Ruins 5 Number Six 6 One Less Blues 7 The Halo Of The Strange
C: Unsolved 8 The Angels Just Have To Show 9 This Day Next Year
D: Unsolved 10 Get Reborn (Rehearsal) 11 Old Code (Rehearsal) 12 The Angels Just Have to Show (Rehearsal)
E: Cancel/Sing 13 Cancel
F: Cancel/Sing 14 Sing
G: Some Boots 15 Original Spies 16 First Release 17 Ice Or Ground? 18 Remain Relaxed
H: Some Boots 19 In Hundreds 20 Airport 21 Baby Teeth 22 South
I: Pockets 23 With Age 24 Water 25 “The State I’m In” Aka “Goode Buy From Cobbs Creek Park” 26 Cacophony
