The Knife recruit 'New Age' aerobics instructor for tour support

When you think The Knife can’t get weirder, well, that’s when you expect them to prove you wrong instantaneously. And that’s very much what has happened following their non-video non-song new single ‘A Cherry on Top’, with the Swedish duo revealing details of their upcoming European tour in a typically baffling press release.

The press release starts all straight-forward, with the pair announcing an extended live line-up for the stretch: “all seven of us, sometimes all ten of us, or even more” will perform, they say.

But then that’s when things get a bit loopy, with the group announcing that a number of shows (Bremen, Hamburg, Milan, Zurich, Munich, Copenhagen and Oslo among them) will be opened by “Absurdist Aerobics class taught by a master-teacher-guru-shaman-dictator-aerobics instructor- new age workshop leader, Tarek Halaby”.

They also say that the aforementioned “support act” of sorts may play more shows too, so let’s hope one of those is a London date.

A number of shows will also been warmed up by a bit of “danceoke”, described by the band as:

“DANCEOKE is like karaoke but instead of singing alone you dance to music videos together with a full dance floor. Danceoke shifts the perspective of performer/audience and makes people come together no matter what.”

The Knife’s tour dates in full are as below:

Fri 26th April, Germany, Bremen – Pier 2
Sat 27th April, Germany, Hamburg – Docks
Mon 29th April, Italy, Milan – Alcatraz
Tues 30th April, Switzerland, Zurich – Komplex 457
Weds 1st May, Germany, Munich – Muffathalle
Thurs 2nd May, Germany, Cologne – E Werk
Sat 4th May, France, Paris – Cite De La Musique
Sun 5th May, Belgium, Brussels – Ancienne Belgique
Mon 6th May, Holland, Amsterdam – Paradiso
Weds 8th May, UK, London – Roundhouse
Thurs 9th May, UK, London – Roundhouse
Sat 11th May, Germany, Berlin – Columbiahalle
Sun 12th May, Denmark, Copenhagen – Vega
Mon 13th May, Denmark, Copenhagen – Vega
Weds 15th May, Norway, Oslo – Sentrum Scene
Thurs 16th May, Sweden, Stockholm – Hangaren Subtopia
Fri 17th May, Sweden, Stockholm – Hangaren Subtopia
Fri 24th May, Spain, Barcelona – Primavera Festival
Fri 14th June, Denmark, Aarhus – Northside Festival
Fri 19th July, Germany – Melt Festival
Sat 20th July, Czech Republic, Ostrava – Colours Festival
Weds 7th Aug, Finland, Helsinki – Flow Festival
Fri 9th Aug, Sweden, Gothenburg – Way Out West Festival
Sat 10th Aug, Norway, Oslo – OYA Festival
Sat 17th Aug, Belgium – Pukkelpop Festival
Sun 18th Aug, Holland – Lowlands Festival
Fri 30th Aug, Switzerland, Zurich – Openair Festival
Fri 6th Sep, Poland, Warsaw – Burn Selector Festival
Sat 7th Sep, UK, Isle Of Wight – Bestival