These days, the Portland/Alaska alt-rock hitmakers Portugal. The Man are on some real wacky shit. In the past year, the band has collaborated with “Weird Al” Yankovic, launched a cryptocurrency, and covered Metallica. Today, the band has taken on a couple of ’90s buzz-bin classics that many of us remember with a whole lot of fondness. They’ve dropped their own versions of “Novocaine For The Soul” and motherfucking “Steal My Sunshine.”
You already know the deal with “Steal My Sunshine.” In 1999, a group of doofy Canadian rap heads called Len sampled an Andrea True Connection disco hit and made a dizzy, shambling, glorious one-off. The song went top-10 in a whole lot of countries, including the US, and Len, who seemed utterly bemused by the experience, never made another hit. (A few years ago, Stereogum had a very fun interview with Len frontman Marc Costanzo about the whole thing.) For their version, Portugal. The Man have enlisted the help of Cherry Glazerr frontwoman Clementine Creevy, and they’d done their best to replicate a vibe that cannot be replicated.
Len have also tried their hand at Eels’ 1996 breakout “Novocaine For The Soul,” the dazed and depressed post-Beck shuffle that essentially introduced the band to the world. “Novocaine For The Soul” had a memorable Mark Romanek video where the Eels floated blissfully into the air, and it became #1 alt-rock hit. The band never made another hit like that, but they’re still going; a few days ago, they dropped a new single and announced a forthcoming album. In their faithful and affectionate cover, Portugal. The Man get help from Sir Chloe, the up-and-coming alt-pop singer-songwriter.
There’s a reason that these covers are coming out right now. Portugal. The Man are gearing up for a big spring tour with alt-J. Cherry Glazerr and Sir Chloe will trade off opening-act duties on the show. Below, check out Portugal. The Man’s covers, as well as the original “Steal My Sunshine” and “Novocaine For The Soul” videos and the dates for that tour.
TOUR DATES:
2/25 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Petersen Events Center *
2/26 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem *
3/01 – Nashville, TN @ Nashville Municipal Auditorium *
3/02 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena *
3/04 – Tampa, FL @ Yuengling Center *
3/05 – Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Live *
3/06 – Orlando, FL @ Orlando Amphitheater *
3/09 – Dallas, TX @ The Factory in Deep Ellum *
3/12 – Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater *
3/13 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall *
3/15 – St Louis, MO @ Chaifetz Arena *
3/16 – Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple Detroit *
3/19 – Chicago, IL @ Credit Union 1 Arena *
3/20 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory *
3/23 – Denver, CO @ 1STBANK Center #
3/25 – San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena San Diego #
3/26 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl #
3/27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center #
3/29 – Seattle, WA @ Wamu Theatre #
3/30 – Vancouver, VA @ Pacific Coliseum #
4/01 – San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium #
4/03 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas #
4/05 – Salt Lake City, UT @ UCCU Center #
4/07 – Kansas City, MO @ Cable Dahmer Arena #
4/08 – Cincinnati, OH @ PromoWest Pavillion at Ovation #
4/09 – Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center #
4/11 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden #
4/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ TD Pavilion at The Mann #
4/14 – Boston, MA @ Agganis Arena #
4/15 – Montreal, QC @ Place Bell #
4/17 – Toronto, ON @ Coca-Cola Coliseum #
* with alt-J & Sir Chloe
# with alt-J & Cherry Glazerr
