Black Eyes are back! That sentence isn’t going to mean anything to a whole lot of people, but if you ever got a chance to see the wild, percussive DC band live, then you already know this is a big, big deal. Black Eyes released two albums on Dischord in the early ’00s, and there’s some great music on those records. But the records are nothing compared to the locked-in percussive attack of the band’s shows — two bassists, two drummers, one guy who screeched real loud while flailing at a guitar or a cowbell. I saw Black Eyes play a ton of DIY shows in Baltimore back in the day, and those shows routinely peeled my face off. I can’t believe I’m getting another chance to witness that insanity.

Black Eyes existed for a very short period of time, from 2001 to 2003. Their second album Cough came out in 2004, after the band had already broken up. Since the band’s demise, frontman Daniel Martin-McCormick has made leftfield dance music under names like Mi Ami and Ital, while Jacob Long, one of the two bassists, started the instrumental project Earthen Sea. But now Dischord is planning a 20th-anniversary reissue of Black Eyes’ self-titled 2003 debut, and the band has announced plans for three East Coast shows. Below, check out the dates and some live-show footage that can’t possibly capture the experience of being there in the room.

4/07 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
4/08 – Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel
4/09 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church