Bartees Strange at the Raccoon Motel -- November 3.
Monday, November 3, 6 p.m.
Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA
Touring in support of his 2025 album Horror, a recording in which, according to Paste magazine "dynamic drums and deftly played guitar draw the listener to the dance floor," indie rockers Bartees Strange headlines a November 3 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, Pitchfork adding that in the artist's latest release, "Strange’s heart and fierce desire for connection bleed through."
Strange was born in Ipswich, England, to a military father and opera-singer mother. The family moved from England to Germany, Greenland, and various United States before settling in Mustang, Oklahoma, when Strange was 12. Before becoming a musician, he worked as the director of communications for a nonprofit environmental organization in Washington, D.C., and while living in Brooklyn, Strange was a member of the post-hardcore band Stay Inside from 2016 to 2018. In late 2017, he released his first solo effort, the acoustic folk EP Magic Boy, under the moniker Bartees & the Strange Fruit, and began amassing superlative reviews. Pitchfork called the work "one of the most fascinating and affecting debuts of the year," while Swim Into the Sound hailed Magic Boy as "an album that feels present in every sense of the word, despite its watchful eye on the past."
In March of 2020, Strange delivered an EP of re-imagined covers of songs by the National, titled Say Goodbye to Pretty Boy, on Brassland. After being named an "Artist to Watch" by Stereogum that same year, the musician released his debut full-length album Live Forever, on October 2, 2020. Featuring a mix of hip hop, indie rock, and jazz music, the album received positive reviews, and Strange toured throughout 2021 and 2022, supporting artists such as Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, Courtney Barnett, and Car Seat Headrest. Also in 2022, Strange released his second album, Farm to Table, to critical acclaim. Rolling Stone raved that Strange's sophomore LP contained "emotionally rich" lyrics that include "stories behind old scars [that] sit side-by-side with in-the-moment descriptions of raw new feelings." PopMatters, meanwhile, decreed that "Farm to Table offers as much substance as it offers style."
Bartees Strange headlines his solo engagement in Davenport on November 3, admission to the 6 p.m. concert is $26.45, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.
