Soon after the announcement of their eleventh album, The Shadow of the Guest, Blonde Redhead will be making a stop at the Woodward Theater in early June. The Shadow of the Guest is a reimagining of their previous record, 2023’s Sit Down for Dinner, and includes renditions of songs ranging from a mariachi-inspired take on their Rick and Morty hit, “For the Damaged Coda,” to ASMR and choral versions, featuring the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
This is nothing new for Blonde Redhead, who have established themselves as restless, outré experimentalists ever since their formation in 1993. Brothers and Milan natives Simone and Amedeo Pace and Japanese singer and multi-instrumentalist Kazu Makino released their debut, self-titled record of jittery art rock in 1994. Produced by Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley, the influence of the New York City noise pioneers is easily detectable.
In 1998, there was a noticeable shift in their songwriting with In the Expression of the Inexpressible, arguably their best album and the one where they really came into their own as a band. And like their debut, In the Expression of the Inexpressible was co-produced by yet another recognizable name – post-hardcore legend Guy Picciotto of Fugazi.
Blonde Redhead has since released a string of successful albums that show them drifting towards more of a relaxed, electro-pop sound in place of the angular dissonance reminiscent of contemporaries like My Bloody Valentine and Unwound that defined their early output. In 2019, Makino released her debut solo album, Adult Baby, with contributions from artists like the late Ryuichi Sakamoto on piano and field recordings, Brazilian percussionist Mauro Refosco, and virtuoso drummer Greg Saunier of Deerhoof.
Joined by Boston songwriter Squirrel Flower, whose latest album Tomorrow’s Fire was voted one of the 30 best rock records of 2023 by Paste, this will be a show you can’t afford to miss.
Blonde Redhead plays Woodward Theater with opener Squirrel Flower on June 6 at 8 p.m. More info: woodwardtheater.com.
This story is featured in CityBeat’s May 28 print edition.
This article appears in May 28 – Jun 10, 2025.