Iggy Pop to release live album from Montreux Jazz Festival 2023
Iggy Pop has released swathes of groundbreaking albums over the course of his long and illustrious career, but he is a phenomenon that must be seen in the flesh to truly appreciate. Broadly, the studio material of the punk godfather and anti-shirt activist pales in comparison to the energy and raw power of his live performances. Luckily, Pop is set to release a live album, recorded at Montreux Jazz Festival in 2023, in order to capture some of that energy on record.
Of course, Iggy Pop has released a few notable live albums in his many decades in the music industry, and many of his concerts have been extensively bootlegged, too. However, the newly announced release of Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 2023 promises to offer a stunning insight into the continued genius of the songwriter, in addition to offering something of a retrospective of his rich and varied career in music.
With a tracklisting featuring songs from across the decades, including beloved Stooges tracks ‘T.V. Eye’, ‘Raw Power’, and more, in addition to classic solo material like ‘Nightclubbing’ and more recent compositions such as ‘Modern Day Ripoff’, the live album aims to give an adrenaline-fueled journey through Pop’s discography.
On top of that, Pop’s various performances at Montreux form some of his most renowned and iconic performances in recent years.
The songwriter himself has attested, “I give something extra every time I do Montreux Jazz. In ’23, it was deep cuts like ‘Mass Production’, ‘Endless Sea’, ‘Five Foot One’, and a hell of a lot of sweat.”
His performance at Montreux on July 6th, 2023, saw the then-76-year-old rock icon adopt his usual onstage antics, characterised by almost inhuman levels of energy. The former Stooges singer formed an inarguable highlight of 2023’s festival, which also boasted performances by the likes of Bob Dylan, Janelle Monae, and Mavis Staples, among many others.
Whether or not the recording of Pop’s performance will stand up to the various other live albums of his, that have been released or bootlegged over the years, remains to be seen. Ahead of its release, however, a video has been shared of ‘Five Foot One’ from the Montreux set, and it certainly succeeds in building anticipation for the full album release.
Iggy Pop’s Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 2023 is set to be released on January 24th, 2025, via earMUSIC. The album will be available on streaming services, in addition to double-LP and a CD and Blu-ray digipak. The Blu-ray is set to contain recordings of the performance at Montreux, carried out by the festival’s team.
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