Left: “I Killed Captain Cook” single artwork, featuring Deedee Aipolani Nielson.
Right: Ruban Nielson, photo by Jenny Nielson.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra have shared the new song "I Killed Captain Cook" and announced a 2023 tour in support of a forthcoming double album. See below for the band's new video and live dates.
Per a press release, "I Killed Captain Cook" is written from "the perspective of the Hawaiian that killed Captain James Cook, the English explorer largely responsible for the colonization of Polynesia, who attempted to kidnap Hawaiian chief Kalaniʻōpuʻu, and eventually met his demise in Hawai’i as a result."
It's a story UMO's Ruban Nielson's mother would tell him as a child with the song acting as a tribute to her. The accompanying video features footage of Nielson's mother, Deedee Aipolani Nielson, described in a press release as “a Kanaka Maoli from Hilo and Miss Aloha Hula 1973.”
The song also marks the first offering from Unknown Mortal Orchestra this year and serves as the first taste of a forthcoming double album in 2023, further details of which remain TBC. UMO will also embark on their first tour in four years next year, hitting North America and Europe from March. The run includes stops in Los Angeles and New York City.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra live dates:
March 20 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory Spokane
March 22 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
March 25 - Seattle, WA - The Moore Theatre
March 27 -Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
March 28 -San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
March 31 -San Diego, CA - The Observatory North Park
April 1 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium
April 2 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren
April 4 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
April 5 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater
April 6 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
April 7 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
April 8 - Chicago, IL - Radius
April 10 - Detroit, MI - Majestic Theatre
April 11 - Toronto, Ontario - Queen Elizabeth Theatre
April 13 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
April 14 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
April 18 - Washington, D.C. - 9:30 Club
April 21 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore
April 22 - Boston, MA - Roadrunner
May 30 - Bexhill, England - De La Warr Pavilion
May 31 - London, England - O2 Brixton Academy
June 15 - Manchester, England - Albert Hall
June 16 - Leeds, England - Stylus
June 17 - Glasgow, Scotland - SWG3 Galvanizers
