the Mountain Goats

The Mountain Goats do what few bands dare: start over again and again, without ever losing their heart. For more than thirty years, frontman John Darnielle has been building a world full of compelling stories, sharp observations, and songs that go straight to the core with his band. Their music moves somewhere between folk, indie, and literary pop. With their newest album Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan, the Mountain Goats pull out all the stops. What started as a dream of Darnielle grew into a real musical: a story about shipwreck, survival, and the thin line between hope and madness. The record is grand in sound and feeling, with arrangements that fan out like cinematic landscapes and guest roles from, among others, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tommy Stinson, and Mikaela Davis. That ambition translates live into pure intensity: from whisper-soft confidences to anthems that make the hall sing along. Every concert feels like a conversation between band and audience, full of recognition, catharsis, and unexpected humor. On October 13, they are in De Centrale. With new work, old favorites, and that typical Mountain Goats-magic that carries you along, moves you, and makes you forget everything for a moment. •••• Craig Finn, once the pivot of Lifter Puller and now for two decades frontman of The Hold Steady, is known for his layered rock and razor-sharp stories. Besides the nine albums with The Hold Steady, he has also built a strong solo path since 2012, in which his characteristic storytelling gets even more space. For fans of Bright Eyes, The Decemberists, AJJ