Bon Iver have announced a global series of location-specific listening events for their new album SABLE, fABLE, set to arrive this Friday, 11th April. Titled fABLE sPACEs, the initiative allows fans to hear the full record early via their smartphones at select outdoor locations around the world. The events take place from 4pm to 7pm local time on Wednesday, 9th April.
Building on the community-led spirit of past Bon Iver activations, such as 22, A Million’s mural-based boombox gatherings and i,i’s record store and photobooth previews, fABLE sPACEs invites listeners to gather in scenic, crowd-sourced locations to unlock a geofenced stream of the new album. The aim, the band says, is to create “shared moments within a personal listening experience,” reflecting SABLE, fABLE’s shift from isolation to connection.
A full list of listening locations is available at fablespaces.boniver.org.
To mark the album’s release, Bon Iver will also host a day-long event titled Live Inside This State Fair at Terasaki Budokan in Los Angeles on Saturday, 12th April. The celebration, running from 3pm to 7pm, is free to attend with RSVP and will feature a mix of community events curated by Justin Vernon and friends. Among the highlights: a three-game basketball tournament between two teams named SABLES and fABLES, a pop-up shop from Vernon and Trever Hagen’s fashion brand Hrrrbek, a photoshoot station by Graham Tolbert, and artwork by Tolbert and Eric Timothy Carlson.
There will also be a raffle supporting Bon Iver’s anti-domestic violence campaign 2 A Billion, a themed pop-a-shot game, and a record stall from Going Underground Records with copies of the new album and a limited edition companion zine. Food and drink vendors include Fishwife and Canyon Coffee.
Terasaki Budokan, the event venue, is a community centre in Little Tokyo developed by the Little Tokyo Service Center to provide space and programming for youth, families, and seniors in downtown Los Angeles.
SABLE, fABLE is Bon Iver’s first studio album in six years, following 2019’s i,I.
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- 2 A Billion
- Album Preview
- Bon Iver
- fABLE sPACEs
- Justin Vernon
- Outdoor Listening Event
- SABLE FABLE
- Terasaki Budokan
