Froge.tour explained

Concert Tour Name:Froge.tour
Artist:Piri & Tommy
Album:Froge.mp3
Start Date:2 November 2022
End Date:19 November 2022
Number Of Shows:9
Chronology:Piri & Tommy concert chronology
Last Concert:Piri & Tommy
This Concert:Froge.tour

Froge.tour is a nine-date tour by the English band Piri & Tommy. Released to promote their mixtape Froge.mp3, the tour began on 2 November 2022 at Belgrave Music Hall and ended on 19 November 2022 at The Warehouse Project. Sets included most of Froge.mp3, several future singles, and cover versions of Chic's "Everybody Dance" and Crystal Waters's "Gypsy Woman". Their Brighton gig was opened by Coupdekat, while their London gig was opened by Maisi and contained pole dancing and Parthenope. These three gigs were between them reviewed by Alexis Petridis and reviewers from LeftLion, Brighton & Hove News, and Gigwise, who gave what they saw a mixed reception.

Background

Piri, who had learned pole dancing while studying chemistry at Lancaster University,[1] met Tommy Villiers in 2020 just before the second United Kingdom COVID-19 lockdown.[2] They started calling each other 'froge' as a nickname as Piri was in a phase of drawing frogs and toads.[3] In June 2021, the pair released "Soft Spot", which went viral on TikTok and Spotify,[4] prompting EMI to sign the pair, re-release the track,[5] and release "Beachin" in January 2022[6] and "Words" in April 2022. They followed the last of these that month with a three-day tour[7] which attracted stage invasions.[8] The month after, Piri joined Loud LDN, a collective of London-based women and genderqueer musicians founded by Maisi and Coupdekat.[9] Polydor Records later signed them and released "On & On"[10] in July 2022.[11]

Contents

The tour was announced on 21 September 2022 alongside their debut project Froge.mp3,[12] which was released on 21 October.[13] Directed by Charlie Deakin Davies,[14] sets included "Soft Spot",[15] "Beachin",[16] "Words",[17] "On & On",[18] album tracks "Slowly But Surely", "Silver Lining", "Settle", and "Say It", cover versions of Chic's "Everybody Dance" and Crystal Waters' "Gypsy Woman", and their unreleased tracks "Updown", "Nice 2 Me", and "See Saw". Their Leeds gig featured green frogs, which were later stolen, and their Bodega gig included beach balls being thrown into the crowd. Coupdekat was the support act for their Komedia gig, at which Piri & Tommy performed for 52 minutes. On-stage, Piri used a TC Helicon vocal effects processor, Tommy used two guitars, and the tour featured a live drummer.

Their Scala gig was opened by Maisi[19] and featured pole dancing.[20] Alex Rigotti of Gigwise, who attended that gig, noted that the band were "dressed exactly how you’d expect a Gen Z raver couple to dress", with Piri in "an orange halter top, short pink skirt, and chunky black trainers" and Tommy "in a white shirt, white cargo pants, and appropriately frog-green sunglasses". In addition, that gig featured a guest spot from Parthenope[21] and was laid out with potted plants, a small Persian rug, and giant mushrooms, which Rigotti described as "evocative of your mate's cozy living room". The final gig of the tour took place at The Warehouse Project, and was part of a birthday party celebrating the anniversary of London-based promoter Eat Your Own Ears.[22]

Reception and aftermath

Reviews for the tour were mixed. Izzy Morris of LeftLion, who reviewed their Bodega gig, wrote that it both "contained a feeling of relaxed, playful spontaneity" and maintained "a sense of polish and cohesivity that you wouldn't expect two so early in their careers to have cracked".[16] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian described their Komedia gig as "appealingly wonky, homespun fun" and noted that the ravers at the front were "word-perfect and vociferous enough to occasionally drown the duo out", though felt that it occasionally felt "a little too toothsome for its own good". He also described the pair's cover of "Gypsy Woman" as "fluffy" but noted that the track lost "a distinct shard of toughness" through Piri's softer vocals.[18] Nick Lanazasoro of Brighton and Hove News was amazed to hear the crowd singing along to "Everybody Dance" on the grounds that their mothers would have danced to it decades earlier.[15]

Rigotti wrote that Piri's pole dancing was "pretty decent" and "a nice alternative from a typical dance choreo"; however, they found the setup "almost a bit too on the nose – aesthetically, it's everything happening on TikTok with a hint of spice to set them apart". He also wrote that the stage banter was minimal and that Tommy was occasionally superfluous to proceedings. Piri split up with him a week after their Warehouse Project gig, with the pair releasing "Updown" in February 2023, reuniting as friends in April 2023, and releasing "Nice 2 Me" the month after that.[23]

Tour dates

Froge.tour!Date!City!Country!Venue!Support
2 November 2022LeedsUnited KingdomBelgrave Music HallMaisi[24]
3 November 2022NottinghamBodega Social ClubCoupdekat
4 November 2022BrightonKomediaCoupdekat
5 November 2022BristolThe TheklaChannell
8 November 2022LondonScalaChannell, Maisi
15 November 2022BerlinGermanyPrivatClub-
16 November 2022AmsterdamThe NetherlandsParadiso-
18 November 2022ParisFrancePitchfork Festival-
19 November 2022ManchesterUnited KingdomThe Warehouse Project-

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Daisy Adams Show w/ Piri and Tommy Villiers 27th October 2021 . 13 February 2023 . Reform Radio . 13 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230213093946/https://www.mixcloud.com/reformradio/the-daisy-adams-show-w-piri-and-tommy-villiers-27th-october-2021/ . live .
  2. Web site: J . Trixie . 4 April 2023 . Piri and Tommy Rose from Viral Rookies to UK Dance's Next Big Ace . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230722235107/https://nexus.radio/news/piri-and-tommy-rose-from-viral-rookies-to-uk-dances-next-big-ace . 22 July 2023 . 22 July 2023 . Nexus Radio . en-US.
  3. Hype List 2023: piri & tommy: "You've just got to take one thing at a time". 30 November 2022. Dork. 24 January 2023. 24 January 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230124232749/https://readdork.com/features/hype-list-2023-piri-and-tommy/. live.
  4. Web site: 29 October 2021 . The Zoomer Embrace of Drum 'n' Bass . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230310111143/https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/drum-n-bass-pinkpantheress-tiktok-column/ . 10 March 2023 . 10 March 2023 . Pitchfork.
  5. Web site: December 2021 . Piri and Tommy Villiers: ambition and reinvention from vibrant drum 'n' bass duo . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221209194257/https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-radar/piri-and-tommy-villiers-soft-spot-tiktok-interview-2021-3108691 . 9 December 2022 . 15 January 2023 . NME.
  6. Web site: piri & tommy share new single 'beachin' following viral hit 'soft spot' • WithGuitars . 2024-09-24 . www.withguitars.com . en-GB.
  7. Web site: piri & tommy share their brand new single ‘words’ • WithGuitars . 2024-09-29 . www.withguitars.com . en-GB.
  8. Web site: Smith . Thomas . 2022-05-15 . Piri and Tommy Villiers live at The Great Escape: banging bedroom beats from a couple in perfect harmony . 2024-09-29 . NME . en-GB.
  9. Web site: 19 December 2022 . "We're taking over the scene": meet Loud LDN, dance music's most vibrant new collective . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230115185851/https://www.nme.com/features/music-interviews/loud-ldn-drum-n-bass-revival-piri-venbee-lucy-tun-radar-3367338 . 15 January 2023 . 15 January 2023 . NME.
  10. Web site: 17 November 2022 . Piri & Tommy . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221117015018/https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/63549/piri-and-tommy/ . 17 November 2022 . 17 November 2022 . Official Charts.
  11. Web site: piri & tommy launch new single 'on & on' as Radio 1's Hottest Record • WithGuitars . 2024-09-24 . www.withguitars.com . en-GB.
  12. piri & tommy have announced their debut project, 'froge.mp3'. 21 September 2022 . Dork. 4 March 2023. 4 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230304081850/https://readdork.com/news/piri-tommy-announce-debut-project-froge-mp3/. live.
  13. Web site: Holden . Finlay . 2022-10-20 . piri & tommy - froge.mp3 . 2024-10-09 . Dork . en-US.
  14. Web site: piri & tommy: Student Radio Class of 2023. YouTube. 14 April 2023.
  15. Web site: 'Mutations Festival' – Day Two Report (Friday). 10 November 2022. Brightonandhovenews.org. 5 February 2023. 5 February 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230205123927/https://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2022/11/10/mutations-festival-day-two-report-friday/. live.
  16. Web site: Gig Review: piri & tommy at The Bodega. LeftLion. 5 February 2023. 5 February 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230205094203/https://www.leftlion.co.uk/read/2022/november/gig-review-piri-and-tommy-at-bodega. live.
  17. Web site: Screen To Stage: Piri + Tommy at Scala, 8/11/22. Gigwise. 15 January 2023. 17 November 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221117010242/https://gigwise.com/reviews/3427670/screen-to-stage--piri---tommy-at-scala--8-11-22. live.
  18. News: Piri and Tommy review – infectious, candy-striped pop fun. The Guardian. 6 November 2022 . 4 March 2023. 15 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221215103419/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/nov/06/piri-and-tommy-review-komedia-brighton. live. Petridis . Alexis .
  19. Web site: Piri shares new collaboration with Maisi • WithGuitars . 2024-10-02 . www.withguitars.com . en-GB.
  20. Web site: 20 September 2023 . Piri – Going Viral, Sustaining A Career in Music and Making OnlyFans Content . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231016093708/https://open.spotify.com/episode/6oM9yoF8JlHxprs9CzRpje . 16 October 2023 . 11 October 2023 . Utopia Talks.
  21. Web site: 2022-11-10 . Photo Gallery: Piri & Tommy - Scala, London 08/11/2022 . 2023-07-10 . When The Horn Blows . en-US.
  22. Web site: Eat Your Own Ears reveals massive line-up for anniversary at The Warehouse Project . 2024-10-02 . Mixmag.
  23. Web site: O'Connor . Siobhain . 2023-05-24 . piri & Tommy Villiers have dropped their new "summer banger", 'nice 2 me' . 2024-09-30 . Dork . en-US.
  24. Web site: Bourke . Maisie . Soooo happy to tell u I am supporting the incredible @piri.and.tommy on their UK tour!!! Catch me in Leeds on Tuesday or London on the 8th! Gonna be sooo much fun so please please come if u can ❤️ . 2024-10-02 . www.facebook.com.