Born the son of the British-Gibraltarian singer-songwriter and musician Albert Hammond, Hammond Jr., was sent to the elite boarding school Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland aged 13. It was here Hammond Jr. met future fellow band mate Julian Casablancas, who after meeting up with in New York City, Hammond became the final member of the Strokes. Largely a rhythm guitarist for the band, Hammond Jr. has released five albums with the Strokes: 2001’s “Is This It”, 2003’s “Room on Fire”, 2006’s “First Impression of Earth”, 2011’s “Angles” and, 2013’s “Comedown Machine” all of which are respected records.

With the success The Strokes afforded Hammond Jr. he was at liberty to pursue his own musical interests inspired by the likes of The Beach Boys, Buddy Holly, Guided By Voices, John Lennon, and the Velvet Underground. The singer-songwriter’s debut album “Yours To Keep” was released in October 2006 in the UK and March 2007 in the U.S. The album earned strong reviews, charted at No. 74 on the UK Albums Chart and features appearances from Sean Lennon, Jody Porter, and The Strokes singer Casablancas. The album’s lead single “101” was followed by the subsequent “In Transit” which earned a music video directed by Joaquin Phoenix.

Hammond’s sophomore album “¿Cómo Te Llama?” was released in June 2008 once again earning favourable reviews and an appearance from Sean Lennon. The album was supported by a North American tour followed by supporting British pop/rock band Coldplay on their European tour from September 2008.

Hammond Jr. was inspired to write his fourth solo full-length record after learning new details about his stillborn twin brother, Francis. He already knew that Francis had been born too prematurely to live and that he himself had survived in his mother’s womb for six months before anyone realized he was there. It wasn’t until he was 36, however, that an aunt revealed a part of Francis was born with him: a fingernail. Hammond Jr. began to wonder if the new direction his music was taking had emanated “from whatever he and the departed Francis had shared for the few short months they had together.”

In an ode to his unborn brother, Hammond Jr. made 36 a prominent aspect of Francis Trouble. After all, that’s the age he learned of the fingernail, and he was born on the 9th day of the 4th month (9 x 4 = 36, of course). Even the album’s runtime is exactly 36 minutes.

As a first peek at the effort, Hammond Jr. has shared the lead single “Muted Beatings”. It’s hard to see the story of the album in lyrics like, “Now I’m waiting on something you said/ Like a waitress, too good to forget,” but as Hammond Jr. himself said in a press release, “What the music says may be serious, but as a medium it should not be questioned, analyzed or taken too seriously. I think it should be tarted up, made into a character, a parody of itself. The music is the mask the message wears and I, the performer, am the message.”

With Special Guests - Roei Freilich & The Murder Sweets and Aya Zehavi Feigin'
Doors open : 20:30