Watch The The play “GIANT” for the first time in 3 decades at ‘Ensoulment’ tour kick-off (setlist, video)
The The officially kick off their Ensoulment tour on Sunday in Dublin but are warming up for it with three very intimate shows in England, the first of which was tonight in Cambridge. On the tour proper, Matt Johnson and the rest of the band will first play their new album Ensoulment (the band’s first in 24 years) front to back followed by a second set of hits, but at tonight’s show they mixed in just a few new songs with lots of oldie-but-goodies.
The setlist of classics is pretty different from what they played on the 2018 Comeback Special tour, including a number of songs The The haven’t played three decades. Those would be “GIANT” and “That Sinking Feeling” from Soul Mining, as well as “August & September” from Mind Bomb, and “Angels of Deception” from Infected.
A deep cut from Soul Mining, “GIANT” has become one of The The’s most popular songs on streaming. “That song developed a whole cult following of its own outside of the album,” Matt Johnson told us recently. “It was a big club track in the ’80s, ’90s, ’00s. It continues to be; it’s one of those tracks that developed a big cult following just by itself.” The The also played “Icing Up” from Burning Blue Soul for the first time in 24 years.
As for the new album, The The played singles “Cognitive Dissident” and “Linoleum Smooth to the Stockinged Foot” and then of course hugely popular songs “This is the Day,” “Uncertain Smile,” “Slow Emotion Replay,” and “Dogs of Lust.” They also played “Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)” and “Heartland,” two songs with strong political messages that feel like they could’ve been written today.
Check out video of “GIANT” and “Uncertain Smile” from the tour kick-off, along with the full setlist, below.
The The’s Ensoulment tour hits North America in the fall, including NYC’s Beacon Theatre on October 17. All date are listed below.
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SETLIST: The The @ Cambridge Junction 8/21/2024
Cognitive Dissident
Infected
Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)
The Sinking Feeling
Heartland
August & September
Slow Emotion Replay
This Is the Day
Angels of Deception
The Whisperers
Love Is Stronger Than Death
Icing Up
Dogs of Lust
Lonely Planet
Encore:
Linoleum Smooth to the Stockinged Foot
Uncertain Smile
GIANT
THE THE – 2024 TOUR DATES
Thursday 22 August – (WARM UP) The Waterfront Norwich, England SOLD OUT
Friday 23 August – (WARM UP) Picturedrome, Holmfirth, England SOLD OUT
Sunday 25 August – National Museum Of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin, Ireland
(supported by A Lazarus Soul)
Friday 6 September – Rock City, Nottingham, England SOLD OUT
Saturday 7 September – Birdwell Venue, Barnsley, England SOLD OUT
Tuesday 10 September – Sentrum Scene, Oslo, Norway
Wednesday 11 September – Sentrum Scene, Oslo, Norway SOLD OUT
Friday 13 September – Filadelfia, Stockholm, Sweden
Saturday 14 September – Store Vega, Copenhagen, Denmark SOLD OUT
Sunday 15 September – Store Vega, Copenhagen, Denmark SOLD OUT
Tuesday 17 September – Huxleys, Berlin, Germany
Wednesday 18 September – Carlswerk Victoria, Köln, Germany
Thursday 19 September – Ancienne Belgique, Brussels, Belgium SOLD OUT
Saturday 21 September – De Roma, Antwerp, Belgium SOLD OUT
Sunday 22 September – Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands SOLD OUT
Monday 23 September – Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands SOLD OUT
Wednesday 25 September – Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland SOLD OUT
Friday 27 September – The Civic At The Halls, Wolverhampton, England SOLD OUT
Saturday 28 September – Alexandra Palace, London, England SOLD OUT
Monday 30 September – O2 Apollo, Manchester, England SOLD OUT
Tuesday 1 October – Brixton Academy, London, England
Friday 11 October – Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA, USA
Saturday 12 October – Durham Performing Arts, Durham, NC, USA
Monday 14 October – The Anthem – Washington, DC, USA
Tuesday 15 October – The Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA, USA
Thursday 17 October – Beacon Theatre – New York, NY, USA
Saturday 19 October – Orpheum Theatre – Boston, MA, USA
Sunday 20 October – MTELUS – Montreal, QC, Canada
Tuesday 22 October – Massey Hall – Toronto, ON, Canada
Wednesday 23 October – Masonic Cathedral Theatre – Detroit, MI, USA
Friday 25 October – The Salt Shed – Chicago, IL, USA SOLD OUT
Saturday 26 October – Palace Theatre – St. Paul, MN, USA
Tuesday 29 October – Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO, USA
Wednesday 30 October – Eccles Theater – Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Saturday 2 November – Paramount Theatre – Seattle, WA, USA
Sunday 3 November – Roseland Theater – Portland, OR, USA
Monday 4 November – Orpheum – Vancouver, BC, Canada
Thursday 7 November – Fox Theater – Oakland, CA, USA
Friday 8 November – Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Thursday 14 November 2024 – Kiri Te Kanawa, Auckland, New Zealand SOLD OUT
Saturday 16 November 2024 – Palais Theatre, Melbourne, Australia SOLD OUT
Sunday 17 November 2024 – Palais Theatre, Melbourne, Australia
Monday 18 November 2024 – Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide, Australia
Thursday 21 November 2024 – Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia
Friday 22 November 2024 –Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia
Saturday 23 November 2024 – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane, Australia SOLD OUT
Sunday 24 November 2024 – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane, Australia
Wednesday 27 November 2024 – Fremantle Arts Centre, Perth, Australia
