David Letterman has a thing for high-energy garage-rock bands who pour their heart out onto the Late Show floor. Dave’s reaction to the 2013 performance delivered by Cage the Elephant instantly became something of Internet legend, and now he’s done it again. Last night, Chicago-based rockers The Orwells made their network television debut on the Late Show, performing the rollicking title track off their latest EP, Who Needs You. The youngsters brought the energy, led especially by singer Mario Cuomo, who spent a majority of the performance looking like a demented psychopath:
He also spent a good portion of the performance crawling around the floor:
At one point, Mario got so winded he had to take a breather on Letterman’s chair:
Letterman was so impressed, he asked for an encore and began chanting, “Come on!”:
Unfortunately, guitarist Matt O’Keefe’s strings broke. So, Paul Shaffer began playing “Who Needs You” himself:
And replicate Mario’s floor crawl:
Fallon may have the most consistent lineup of musical guests, but at 66 years young, David Letterman has become the biggest cheerleader.
The Orwells will look to follow up their monumental night by setting out on an extensive tour beginning later this month. Check out the full schedule, including a just-announced leg of dates in March, below:
The Orwells 2014 Tour Dates
01/30 – Miami, FL @ The Fillmore *
01/31 – Orlando, Fl @ Hard Rock Live *
02/01 – Saint Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live *
02/03 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore *
02/04 – Richmond, VA @ The National *
02/06 – Boston, MA @ Agganis Arena *
02/07 – Portland, ME @ State Theatre *
02/08 – New York, NY @ Rough Trade In-Store
02/10 – Covington, KY @ Madison Theater *
02/11 – Columbus, OH @ LC Indoor Pavilion *
02/13-17 – Weezer Cruise
02/20 – Birmingham, UK @ Hare and Hounds
02/21 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
02/22 – Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast
02/25 – Brighton, UK @ The Haunt
02/27 – Manchester, UK @ Night & Day
03/01 – Bristol, UK @ Thekla
03/04 – Allston, MA @ Great Scott #
03/06 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom #
03/07 – Philadelphia, @ PA First Unitarian Church #
03/08 – Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall #
03/10 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade – Hell Stage #
03/11 – New Orleans, @ LA One Eyed Jacks #
03/19 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rampage Fest #
03/20 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory #
03/21 – San Diego, CA @ Che Café #
03/22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour #
03/23 – San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s #
03/25 – Seattle, WA Neumos @ #
03/26 – Portland, OR @ Star Theater #
April 1 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall #
April 2 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock
* = w/ Arctic Monkeys
# = w/ Twin Peaks
