Grammy-winning band at the Babbage

Grammy-winning band at the Babbage

They might be Grammy Award winners, they might have sold millions of albums, but They Might Be Giants will definitely be bringing their brand of alternative rock to Cambridge University for a unique gig and family show on June 27.

Instead of ’Good evening Wembley’, it will be ’Good afternoon Babbage Lecture Theatre’, as TMBG perform tracks from its latest children’s album Here Comes Science. The band won a 2002 Grammy Award for its Malcolm in the Middle theme tune and a 2009 Best Musical Album for Children Grammy for Here Come the 123s.

The show is a massive coup for the University’s Science Festival team, who have managed to book the band for the day after their two-show performance at the Royal Festival Hall -their only other UK gig.

Band manager Jamie Lincoln Kitman said: "They Might Be Giants share the Cambridge Science Festival’s passion for science, and communicating science to kids (and adults). The process of putting on a rock gig like this in a fabled lecture theatre is a brave new horizon for us.

"Luckily we’ve benefited from the legacy of Babbage’s ’difference engine’ (our faithful computers) to help get us to this moment in time, (the band made their first album on the first series Macintosh.) Now everything is ready for what’s going to be a really special event. Log on, Cambridge, Here Comes Science!"

Cambridge Science Festival organiser Shelley Bolderson said:"The Cambridge Science Festival is thrilled to welcome They Might be Giants to the University of Cambridge, a real life Grammy-winning band, for what should be an amazing gig. We’re always looking for innovative ways of inspiring kids to get into science. A live performance of Here Comes Science is the perfect way to do it."

After a jam-packed 2009 filled with sold-out shows and media appearances, They Might Be Giants, whose videos have been viewed more than ten million times on YouTube, have started off 2010 with a bang. As a follow-up to their 2009 Grammy-winning album, Here Come The 123s, TMBG - the songwriters, producers, multi-instrumentalists and vocalists John Flansburgh and John Linnell - have just released their latest kids album Here Comes Science as a two-disc CD/DVD.

The new family-oriented album conquers the world of science with tracks such as ’Meet The Elements’, ’Photosynthesis’, ’My Brother The Ape’ and ’Computer-Assisted Design’, while delivering the trademark melodies and wit that have made TMBG a household name for more than 25 years.

In addition to Here Comes Science, 2010 brings the re-release of several notable titles from the TMBG catalogue. These include the band’s self-titled debut (featuring classics like "Don’t Let’s Start") and their sophomore effort Lincoln (including hits such as "Ana Ng"). Their third album Flood (featuring the smash hit "Birdhouse in Your Soul") - gold in the UK and just certified platinum (one million copies) in the U.S. - will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a special bonus edition this summer, while a follow-up effort to 2007’s Dust Brothers-produced The Else is slated for UK release in January 2011.

Tickets, can be booked online at http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/sciencefestival/tmbg/ in person from the Corn Exchange box office, or by phone on 01223 357851. Tickets cost £10 each, or £32.50 for a family pack of four tickets.

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