Froge.tour (/froʊɡ/) 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.
| Tour by Piri & Tommy | |
 | |
| Associated album | Froge.mp3 |
|---|---|
| Start date | 2 November 2022 |
| End date | 19 November 2022 |
| No. of shows | 9 |
| Supporting acts | |
| Piri & Tommy concert chronology | |
Background
editPiri, who had learned pole dancing while studying chemistry at Lancaster University,[1]: 53:00 met Tommy Villiers in 2020 just before the second United Kingdom COVID-19 lockdown.[2] They started calling each other 'froge' (/froʊɡ/)[3] as a nickname as Piri was in a phase of drawing frogs and toads.[4] In June 2021, the pair released "Soft Spot", which went viral on TikTok and Spotify,[5] prompting EMI to sign the pair, re-release the track,[6] and release "Beachin" in January 2022[7] and "Words" in April 2022. They followed the last of these that month with a three-day tour[8] which attracted stage invasions.[9] The month after, Piri joined Loud LDN, a collective of London-based women and genderqueer musicians founded by Maisi and Coupdekat.[10] Polydor Records later signed them and released "On & On"[11] in July 2022.[12]
Contents
editThe tour was announced on 21 September 2022 alongside their debut project Froge.mp3,[13] which was released on 21 October.[14] Directed by Charlie Deakin Davies,[3] sets included "Soft Spot",[15] "Beachin",[16] "Words",[17] "On & On",[18] album tracks "Slowly But Surely",[15] "Silver Lining",[17] "Settle",[15] and "Say It",[16] cover versions of Chic's "Everybody Dance" and Crystal Waters' "Gypsy Woman",[16] and their unreleased tracks "Updown", "Nice 2 Me", and "See Saw".[15] Their Leeds gig featured green frogs, which were later stolen, and their Bodega gig included beach balls being thrown into the crowd.[16] 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.[15]
Their Scala gig was opened by Maisi[19] and featured pole dancing.[20]: 31:52 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".[17] 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".[17] The final gig of the tour took place at The Warehouse Project,[13] and was part of a birthday party celebrating the anniversary of London-based promoter Eat Your Own Ears.[22]
Reception and aftermath
editReviews 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" [sic].[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.[17] Piri & Tommy split up a week after their Warehouse Project gig, released "Updown" in February 2023, resumed making music together in April 2023,[20]: 44:25 and released "Nice 2 Me" the month after that.[23]
Tour dates
edit| Date | City | Country | Venue | Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 November 2022 | Leeds | United Kingdom | Belgrave Music Hall | Maisi[24] |
| 3 November 2022 | Nottingham | Bodega Social Club | Coupdekat[24] | |
| 4 November 2022 | Brighton | Komedia | Coupdekat[24] | |
| 5 November 2022 | Bristol | The Thekla | Channell[24] | |
| 8 November 2022 | London | Scala | Channell, Maisi[24] | |
| 15 November 2022 | Berlin | Germany | PrivatClub | - |
| 16 November 2022 | Amsterdam | The Netherlands | Paradiso | - |
| 18 November 2022 | Paris | France | Pitchfork Festival | - |
| 19 November 2022 | Manchester | United Kingdom | The Warehouse Project | - |
References
edit- ^ "The Daisy Adams Show w/ Piri and Tommy Villiers 27th October 2021". Reform Radio. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
- ^ J, Trixie (4 April 2023). "Piri and Tommy Rose from Viral Rookies to UK Dance's Next Big Ace". Nexus Radio. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
- ^ a b "piri & tommy: Student Radio Class of 2023". Retrieved 14 April 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Hype List 2023: piri & tommy: "You've just got to take one thing at a time"". Dork. 30 November 2022. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- ^ "The Zoomer Embrace of Drum 'n' Bass". Pitchfork. 29 October 2021. Archived from the original on 10 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- ^ "Piri and Tommy Villiers: ambition and reinvention from vibrant drum 'n' bass duo". NME. December 2021. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "piri & tommy share new single 'beachin' following viral hit 'soft spot' • WithGuitars". www.withguitars.com. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ "piri & tommy share their brand new single 'words' • WithGuitars". www.withguitars.com. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
- ^ Smith, Thomas (2022-05-15). "Piri and Tommy Villiers live at The Great Escape: banging bedroom beats from a couple in perfect harmony". NME. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
- ^ ""We're taking over the scene": meet Loud LDN, dance music's most vibrant new collective". NME. 19 December 2022. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "Piri & Tommy". Official Charts. 17 November 2022. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
- ^ "piri & tommy launch new single 'on & on' as Radio 1's Hottest Record • WithGuitars". www.withguitars.com. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ a b c "piri & tommy have announced their debut project, 'froge.mp3'". Dork. 21 September 2022. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ Holden, Finlay (2022-10-20). "piri & tommy - froge.mp3". Dork. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
- ^ a b c d e f "'Mutations Festival' – Day Two Report (Friday)". Brightonandhovenews.org. 10 November 2022. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Gig Review: piri & tommy at The Bodega". LeftLion. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Screen To Stage: Piri + Tommy at Scala, 8/11/22". Gigwise. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ a b Petridis, Alexis (6 November 2022). "Piri and Tommy review – infectious, candy-striped pop fun". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 December 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ "Piri shares new collaboration with Maisi • WithGuitars". www.withguitars.com. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ a b "Piri – Going Viral, Sustaining A Career in Music and Making OnlyFans Content". Utopia Talks. 20 September 2023. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ "Photo Gallery: Piri & Tommy - Scala, London 08/11/2022". When The Horn Blows. 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
- ^ "Eat Your Own Ears reveals massive line-up for anniversary at The Warehouse Project". Mixmag. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ O'Connor, Siobhain (2023-05-24). "piri & Tommy Villiers have dropped their new "summer banger", 'nice 2 me'". Dork. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ a b c d e 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 ❤️". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2024-10-02.