Kurt Vile talks Fontaines D.C. collab, his shoutout from Sam Fender, and paying tribute to Philadelphia

Kurt Vile has spoken to NME about summoning the “ghosts” of his home city on latest album ‘Philadelphia’s Been Good To Me’, inspiring both Fontaines D. C. and Sam Fender, and hinted at plans for the future.

The iconic indie-rocker spent 12 weeks on the road following the May release of his 10th solo LP, including a homecoming show at Philadelphia’s Dell Music Centre in July, an onstage collab with Fontaines D.

C. na França e uma aparição no End Of The Road Festival.

Marking his first full-length project since 2022’s adventurous ‘(Watch My Moves)’, the new record refocuses on Vile’s hometown, taking listeners through the Mount Airy neighbourhood and the Schuylkill River in this musical homage to Pennsylvania’s largest city.

Juntando-se ao NME nos bastidores do Project House em Leeds, comendo um café, Vile ficou agradavelmente surpreso ao descobrir que estava fazendo uma entrevista na noite final (15 de setembro) desta longa turnê.

Indeed, Vile and his backing band The Violators showcased their rich, thick sound to a sold-out audience who remained bewitched throughout the gig. Key moments included a beautifully melancholic ‘Girl Named Alex’, the woozy synth intro of ‘Mount Airy Hill (Way Gone)’ and his certified crowd-pleaser ‘Pretty Pimpin’.

An effortlessly cool Vile was in fine form as he thanked the faithful for coming out: “The best place to do the last one.”.

In 2022, Vile’s stage presence and demeanour were the subject of praise from Fontaines D. C. frontman Grian Chatten, who told Rolling Stone UK: “I envied him. The sun was going down and he was able to stand there and chill out.

Responding to those compliments, Vile told NME about the headspace he tries to enter. “It’s a persona that I can tap into, and that’s an ideal place I want to be,” he explained.

Desculpe, mas não recebi o texto completo da entrevista. Por favor, envie o conteúdo que deseja traduzir.

NME: Olá, Kurt. Mais cedo nesta turnê, você se juntou ao Fontaines D. C. para tocar ‘Roman Holiday’ – uma música que eles disseram ter sido inspirada por você – no La Route Du Rock na França.

How did that surprise appearance come about.

Kurt Vile: “That was very sweet, because they’re really nice young kids. I’d definitely heard their music. The first time I heard their name, we were on the same tribute album [2021’s ‘I’ll Be Your Mirror’] for the first Velvet Underground album.

I was like, ‘Oh, what’s this music? It sounds old’, and I’d do the old Shazam. We shared this festival in France, and when we were finished, their people were like, ‘They want you to sit in’.

What did you talk about backstage with Grian Chatten.

One month earlier, you brought ‘Philadelphia’s Been Good To Me’ back home for an outdoor show. Did that homecoming feel different, given the album’s subject matter.

What keeps you grounded in Philadelphia and connected to it.

Em “Chance To Bleed”, você rememora memórias de “old time lo-fi DIY rock ‘n’ roll nights” em Philly. Que imagem você estava tentando pintar ali.

Granduciel worked on Sam Fender’s Mercury Prize-winning 2025 album ‘People Watching’. On the track ‘Arm’s Length’, Fender says the riff “sounds like a Kurt Vile thing” – what did you make of that shoutout.

Fender has taken lots of inspiration from The War On Drugs, too. How does it feel that your little pocket of Philly guitar music has been so inspiring to these era-defining modern guitar acts.

Do you think about how that legacy is beginning to unfold.

What does the future hold for Kurt Vile? You’ve said you treated this record “like it’s my last” – is that an attitude you’ll carry forward.

Kurt Vile’s North American tour dates for 2026 are.

04 de NOVEMBRO – Asbury Hall, Buffalo, NY 05 de NOVEMBRO – Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH 06 de NOVEMBRO – Headliners Music Hall, Louisville, K 07 de NOVEMBRO – The Sovereign, St.

Louis, MO 08 de NOVEMBRO – Turner Hall, Milwaukee, WI 10 de NOVEMBRO – Wooly’s, Des Moines, IA 11 de NOVEMBRO – Liberty Hall, Lawrence, KS 12 de NOVEMBRO – The Waiting Room, Omaha, NE 13 de NOVEMBRO – Washington’s, Fort Collins, CO 14 de NOVEMBRO – Summit, Denver, CO 16 de NOVEMBRO – George’s Majestic Lounge, Fayetteville, AR 17 de NOVEMBRO – Minglewood Hall, Memphis, TN 18 de NOVEMBRO – Joy Theatre, New Orleans, LA 20 de NOVEMBRO – Watt, Athens, GA 21 de NOVEMBRO – The Music Farm, Charleston, SC 22 de NOVEMBRO – Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte, NC 23 de NOVEMBRO – The National, Richmond, VA 24 de NOVEMBRO – Ottobar, Baltimore, MD.

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