DHP PRESENTS

THE OLD ’97s

+PLUS ESPANOLA

Live at Oslo, Hackney

Tickets are on sale now from Alt Tickets.

Old 97’s is an American alternative country band from Dallas, Texas. Formed in 1992, they have since released twelve studio albums, two full extended plays, shared split duty on another, and have one live album. Their most recent release is Twelfth. They were pioneers of the alt-country movement during the mid-to-late 1990s, but lead vocalist and primary songwriter Rhett Miller has described the band’s style as “loud folk”. The band’s name is in reference to the Wreck of the Old 97.

Initially a popular Dallas bar band, Old 97’s toured the country after releasing their first album, 1994’s Hitchhike to Rhome and 1995’s split EP release Stoned / Garage Sale with fellow Dallas band Funland on Idol Records. In Chicago, they caught the attention of Bloodshot Records and were signed to record their next album. 1995’s Wreck Your Life brought them to the attention of Elektra Records, who hoped that alt-country could be a new post-grunge trend. Lead singer Rhett Miller, born in Austin, later lived in New York City and Los Angeles. Many of the band’s songs include local Texas references, with references to New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago appearing as well. In 2005, Blender magazine ranked the band’s then most successful single, 1999’s “Murder (Or a Heart Attack)”, as the 176th greatest song “since you were born.”