NPR shares over 100 archival live performances from 9:30 Club | NME

Between 2005 and 2017, NPR regularly broadcast live performances from the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC.

Now, the public radio organisation has shared over 100 archival recordings from the series’ run, available for streaming over at their website. The recordings are predominantly audio, but some include video footage too. Each individual instalment features the original write-up that accompanied the original stream.

The series kicks off with a performance by Bright Eyes in 2005. The show took place shortly after the band released seminal albums ‘I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning’ and ‘Digital Ash in a Digital Urn’. Other shows include Bloc Party, Sonic Youth, Arctic Monkeys, The National, Sleater-Kinney, Cat Power, Wilco, Bon Iver, and many more.

NPR have shared the recordings to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 9:30 Club opening in 1980.

“In 2005… I approached the 9:30 Club about live webcasting shows from the club. Internet connectivity was coming up to speed for many households, and so an audio stream from the club seemed a way to share the wealth of talent I felt so privileged to access,” wrote Bob Boilen, who hosts NPR’s All Songs Considered, in a thoughtful essay about the club’s anniversary.

“At the top of May I realized that there would be no in-person celebration for the club’s 40th anniversary, that I wouldn’t get to see the smiling faces of the staff, the thousand fans finding community for a special evening. I began thinking about the archives of the 9:30 Club shows we recorded, over 100 concerts.”

“With all of us likely missing live music, here’s a way to celebrate and remember why it’s so vital.”

Head to NPR’s website here to see the full listing of archival recordings.