March 2017 marks fifty years since the release of one of most iconic albums of all time. Accompanied by vocalist Nico, the album was recorded in 1966 while the group were featured on Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable multimedia event tour, which gained attention for its experimental performance sensibilities and controversial lyrical topics, including drug abuse, prostitution, sadism and masochism and sexual deviancy.

While it reportedly took over a decade for the album’s sales to crack six figures, glam, punk, new wave, goth, noise, and nearly every other left-of-center rock movement owes an audible debt to this set. While The Velvet Underground had as distinctive a sound as any band, what’s most surprising about this album is its diversity. Read more about the album here.

Join us at one of our listening sessions around the world to hear this album as never before.

London

Date and Time: Sunday, 5th March  4 – 7 pm

Venue: Brilliant Corners, 470 Kingsland Road, London, E8 4AE

Tickets: £10 online here

Presenter: Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy

Audio Menu: Dynavector D17D3 MC CartridgeRega P9 TurntableSimaudio Moon 310LP Phono StageAudio Note Jinro Integrated AmpChord Signature Speaker CableChord Signature Tuned Aray interconnectsISOL-8 Substation Integra Power Conditioner and Klipschorn Loudspeakers

New York City

Date and Time: Sunday 26th March, 4 – 7 pm

Venue: Good Room 98 Meserole, Brooklyn, NY 11222

Tickets: $8 in advance here

Presenters: Paul Raffaele and Barbie Bertisch (Love Injection Magazine)

Audio Menu: Rega Exact MM CartridgeRega P9 TurntableAudio Note UK pre-amplification and power amplificationAudioQuest Interconnects and cablingKlipsch LoudspeakersKlipsch SW-115 Subwoofers

Cambridge

Date and Time: Sunday 5th March, 3 – 6 pm

Venue: Hidden Rooms, Jesus Lane, Cambridge, CB5 8BA

Tickets:  £9 in advance, student discount tickets £5 also available here

Presenter: Dean Butler

Audio Menu: The audio menu for our events in Cambridge is kindly supplied by the fantastic Criterion Audio

SME Model 15 turntable with Ortofon Cadenza Red cartridge, Bel Canto ACI600 integrated amplifier and streamer, PMC FACT12 loudspeakers, Analysis Plus loudspeaker cables.

Brussels

Date: Sunday, 26th March, 5 to 8 pm

Venue: Le Cercle des Voyageurs, 18 Lievevrouwbroersstraat/ Rue des Grands Carmes 18, 1000 Brussels

Tickets: 10 Euros online here

Presenter: Femke Dekker (Red Light Radio)

Audio menu: Acoustic Signature Challenger MkIII turntable, Ortofon SPU Royal N cartridge, Audio Innovations Series 800 step-up, Audio Note M1 RIAA (modified) phono preamp, Avantgarde Acoustic XA Integrated amplifier, Avantgarde Duo XD horn loudspeakers.

Kansas City

Date & Time: Sunday March 19th 1pm – 4pm

Venue: Waldo Pizza Tap Room, 7433 Broadway Street, Kansas City, MO 64114

Tickets: $5 in advance here

Presenter: Kelsyn Rooks

Audio Menu: Audio Note Turntable setup – TT2 TurntableDeluxe Arm 3IQ3 cartridge; Audio Note Ankoru Amplifiers and M6 Phono pre-amplifier; Audio Note interconnects and cabling, Klipsch La Scala II loudspeakersKlipsch R-115SW subwoofers

Amsterdam

Date: Sunday March 19th 2 – 5pm

Venue: Doka, Wibautstraat 150 (basement Volkshotel)

Tickets:  €10 in advance soon, more on the door.

Presenter: Femke Dekker

Audio Menu: Acoustic Signature Challenger Mk3 turntable, Acoustic Signature TA-1000 tonearm, Ortofon SPU Royal N MC cartridge, Air Tight 300B amplifier, Avantgarde Acoustic Duo XD loudspeakers in Pearl White, Furutech cables and power conditioning

Chicago

Date and Time: Sunday 26th March 5:30 – 8:30 pm

Venue: Saturday Audio Exchange, 1021 W Belmont Avenue, Chicago IL, 60647

Tickets: $5 in advance here

Presenter: Sam Willett

Audio Menu: Klipschorns provided by Klipsch Audio and McIntosh Tube amps provided by Saturday Audio

Los Angeles

Date and Time: Sunday 2nd April, 4 – 7 pm

Venue: Flora Chang, 607 E 4th St, Los Angeles, CA 90013 (this is a private venue, ticketed attendees only)

Tickets: $15 in advance here

Presenter: Zach Cowie

Audio Menu: Audio Note Jinro Shochu AmplifierAudio Note M5 Phono PreamplifierAudio Note S3 Step Up TransformerAudio Note TT2 Turntable w/ Audio Note Tonearm 3 & Audio Note IO1 Cartridge,Klipschorn Loudspeakers, All interconnects & cabling by Audio Note

Fukuoka

Date: Sunday March 12th, 8pm to 11pm

Venue: Square 1-15-3, 3F Imaizumi Chuo-ku Fukuoka 810-0014 Japan

Tickets: ¥1,000 (RSVP cas@lighthouserecords.jp)

Presenter: Masuo (Lighthouse Records founder / CAS Fukuoka)

Audio Menu: Klipschorn LoudspeakersMark Levinson 23.5L Power AmplifierMark Levinson No.26 PreamplifierPioneer Exclusive P3 turntableKoetsu Cartridge and Stepup Trans.

Sydney

Sunday, March 19th, 5 to 8 pm

Venue: The World Bar

Tickets: $15 at the door or in advance here students/seniors half price here

Presenters: Jim Poe (Bondi Beach Radio)

Audio Menu: Roksan Radius 5 TurntableOrtofon 2M Bronze CartridgeRoksan K3 AmplifierKef C30 Speakers,

Oslo

Date and Time: Sunday 26th March, 5 – 7 pm, doors open at 4 pm

Venue: Kulturhuset LAB

Tickets: NOK100 in the door or in advance here. Students/Seniors/Juniors half price.

Presenters: Kent Horne with the John Peel of Norway, NRK legend, radio host and producer Harald Are Lund, and his colleague, frontman of norwegian rock band WE, TV and radio host, Thomas Felberg.

Audio Menu installed by Duet Audio and Midas ReferenceCartridge: Ortofon Cadenza BlackTurntable: Dr. Feickert Blackbird, Tone arm: Jelco750 LB 12″, Preamp: 4 x Monoblocks Auralic Merak 2x800W, Integrated Amp with phono stage: Ayon AurisLoudspeakers: Piega Classic 80.2Interconnects: Midas Reference SiljeSpeaker Cable: Midas Reference SiljePower Conditioner: Isol-8.

Washington DC

Date and Time: Sunday 19th March 3 – 6pm

Venue: Songbyrd Music House and Record Cafe, 2477 18th St NW, Washington DC 20009

Tickets: $5 in advance here

Presenter: Casey Rae

Audio Menu provided by Audioism.

REGA Planar 3 turntable with Elys MM Cartridge, REGA Fono MM Phono Preamp, Audioism MicroZOTL Preamp (David Berning Design), Audioism Venue-Class Playback System, Xcilica HD System Processor , Audioism ZOTL Amplifiers (David Berning Design), Class AB Hybrid Amplification for Subs, WyWires Audio Interconnects

Miami

Date and Time: Sunday 26th March 4 – 7 pm

Venue: Sweat Records, 5505 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33137

Tickets: $5 in advance soon

Presenter: TBC

Audio Menu: Audio Note T1 TurntableAudio Note 1Q1 cartridgeAudio Note M2 Phono PreamplifierAudio Note Conqueror SET AmplifierDeja Vu Audio Custom Genoa Vintage SpeakersAudio Note Lexus Cables