American Football: a live return to Italy for a date with the midwest emo pioneers

American Football have announced a world tour, kicking off in May. The midwest emo band will return to the stage for four months, with dates across the United States, Canada, the UK and Europe. In Italy, a single show is scheduled in Milan, on June 19th at the Alcatraz.

The tour marks the return of American Football, following their 2024 shows celebrating the 25th anniversary of LP1, and also opens a new chapter for the band.

In response to the deadly violence and intimidation caused in the United States by ICE, American Football will team up with PLUS1 to donate $1 / £1 / €1 from every ticket sold on the tour to Safe Passage International and The Illinois Coalition for Immigration & Refugee Rights: two organizations at the forefront of defending immigrant rights and supporting deportees, migrants and refugees. Presale tickets are available starting today, while general sale begins Friday at 10am. Info: https://www.americanfootballmusic.com/tour

Before earning global recognition as a cornerstone of the "Midwest Emo" subgenre, American Football were an indie rock college band tied to the University of Illinois, led by Mike Kinsella (founding drummer of Cap'n Jazz, who later became singer and guitarist), alongside Steve Holmes (guitar) and Steve Lamos (drums/trumpet). At the time, they drew influence from artists such as Steve Reich, Tortoise and The Sea and Cake.

Before splitting up, they played no more than a dozen shows, often to sparse crowds. With graduation and some form of adult life looming, their "parting gift" came in the form of a self-titled album ("American Football, LP1"), released in September 1999 by the local label Polyvinyl Record Co. What happened over the following fifteen years is the stuff of rock'n'roll legend: word of mouth meeting forums and online culture, mixtapes, burned CDs and the first file-sharing platforms allowing an otherwise unknown band — with an anonymous house on the cover of their only album — to grow into something far bigger.

In 2014, answering the call of an ever-growing legion of devoted fans, American Football decided to reunite, achieving international success. With the addition of bassist/multi-instrumentalist and cousin Nate Kinsella, the quartet released, in 2016 and 2019, the albums "LP2" and "LP3", carrying forward a natural evolution of their sound towards post-rock, post-punk and more experimental influences. They have collaborated with peers and fans alike, including Hayley Williams (Paramore), Rachel Goswell (Slowdive) and Ethel Cain, among others.

In the meantime, they have shared a remastered version of the album, recorded a covers album of LP1, released their first live album, and also produced a concert film.

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