Two for the Road is a series in which two artists touring together chat about playing shows, life backstage, and more. In the latest installment of the series, alt-J’s Gus Unger-Hamilton and Portugal. The Man’s Zach Carothers meet each other for the first time and chat ahead of their 2022 tour.
alt-J are fresh off the release of their third studio album, The Dream, and are gearing up for their first major tour since the beginning of the pandemic. This time, labelmates and fellow alt-rock giants Portugal. The Man will be joining them, also with new music in tow; new single “What, Me Worry?” dropped last week, and their upcoming ninth studio album will arrive in June.
Upon first listen, alt-J and Portugal. The Man have wildly different interpretations of alternative rock — yet, both artists have dominated the charts throughout the last decade, and they share an equal amount of enthusiasm for creating bold, authentic, and seriously catchy tunes.
alt-J, who hail from the bustling suburbs of London, are excited to explore America once again when tour kicks off later this month — and Portugal’s bassist, Zach Carothers, already has a few ideas about how they can all unwind in between tour stops. “Every morning I’m just gonna rent a car and find a stream somewhere and just, like, hang out in the woods, and then come back for the show,” he says in the newest edition of Two for the Road. “There’ll be plenty of cans of beer, I imagine.”
Elsewhere, alt-J keyboardist/vocalist Gus-Unger Hamilton shares some favorite tour memories, expresses his undying love for his cat, and recalls recording The Dream with his bandmates in England, while Carothers discusses fostering dogs, floating by boat across a river to hang with Portugal’s lead singer John Gourley, and much more.
Though the two musicians hadn’t met each other prior to the conversation (“This is a blind date,” Carothers jokes), it’s clear that they’re gonna have a fantastic time on tour together.
Watch the full conversation above, or via YouTube.
Ed. note: Catch alt-J and Portugal. The Man on tour together by picking up tickets here.
Portugal. The Man have also launched an initiative dubbed NIGHT OUT, supporting disabled fans requiring ADA access. In select markets, pairs of winning ticket holders will be treated as VIP guests of the band, with a special meet-and-greet among the many perks. Learn more about the NIGHT OUT initiative here, and enter to win here.
