Despite their name, the British group Stereo MC’s were never actually rappers. Instead, Stereo MC’s made a deeply hybridized form of club-pop in the late ’80s and early ’90s, and they found peers in the worlds of alt-rap and dance-rock. They toured with De La Soul, Living Colour, and Happy Mondays, and they had two songs, “Connected” and “Step It Up,” that were pretty big on American alt-rock radio in the early ’90s. I loved those songs. Stereo MC’s are still going, and now they’ve announced their first American shows in 24 years.

Stereo MC’s started in 1985, and their two big hits both came from their third album, 1992’s Connected. That LP was a platinum smash in the UK, and the group won big at the Brit Awards, taking home trophies for Best British Group and Best British Album in 1994. After Connected, Stereo MC’s didn’t release another album for nine years, but they did prominent remix work for people like Madonna and U2.

Stereo MC’s have been relatively dormant in recent years, and drummer Owen If died in 2022. But the group recently toured the UK with Happy Mondays, and now they’re working on new music. Now, group members Rob B, Nick Hallam, Cath Coffey, and Tansay Omar have announced plans for three US club shows in January 2025 — their first time over here since they toured with Jane’s Addiction in 2001. In a press release, Hallam says, “There’s a lot of new music that’s being developed as we go — some club-orientated in keeping with our label and recent outlook and some more in the Stereo MC’s known mold. When the two merge as one, we will be there.” Check out the dates below.

TOUR DATES:
1/23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
1/24 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg
1/25 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair