SLCene Suggests: World Party at The State Room

WORLD PARTY, THE STATE ROOM, Wednesday, June 18, 8 p.m., $25

This week, my patience as a fan of British rockers World Party pays off as they visit Salt Lake City for the very first time. World Party is led by Karl Wallinger, a songwriter I first fell in love with back in 1986 when the band released their first album, Private Revolution. I discovered the band as most Americans found British acts in the mid-80s, by watching MTV’s shows dedicated to so-called “alternative” music. World Party made striking videos for songs like “Ship of Fools”, revealing an unabashed reverence of Beatles-style pop-rock in the process. Only later did I find out Wallinger formed World Party after departing another of my favorite ‘80s bands, The Waterboys. Wallinger and World Party followed up Private Revolution album with a series of strong releases into the early 90s before going on hiatus. During the break, Wallinger suffered an aneurysm that kept him out of music for a few years, but he eventually put together a new version  of World Party and has been touring and recording again for nearly a decade. Gabriel Kelley opens the show.