Since his adoption into the Ninja Tune stable nearly 15 years ago, UK producer Simon Green has silver-surfed a long wave to international stardom. Through the 2000s, he cemented his name at the forefront of downtempo electronica with a clutch of unanimously well-received records, all boasting an instinctive knack for instrumental yarn-spinning and melodic noodling. His compositional touch has only refined over time. After all the dynamic progression of his first three full-lengths, Green rounded off the decade with Black Sands, an exquisite culmination of everything leading up to it. We’ve watched him grow with a fuzzy warmth: in fact, a chronicle of Si’s dizzying evolution as a performing artist can all be found in our archives.
Now we’re coming to the end of 2014, we’re afforded some perspective on the gargantuan successes of his fifth studio album, The North Borders – undoubtedly the high watermark of his career. On the back of its release, Green and team set to conquer one of the most ambitious world tours in recent memory: 175 live shows in 30 countries. Having set sail back in April 2013, the crew are now over 18 months deep with the finishing line drawing into view. By the time their global circuit comes to a close, they will have travelled over 180,000 miles and performed to nigh on 2 million fans.
To crown off this mammoth journey across the four corners of the globe, Green’s tour finishes with a momentous homecoming. After a penultimate date at Manchester’s Warehouse Project, Bonobo conclude nearly two years on the road inside London’s iconic Alexandra Palace for one last blow-out on British soil. The epic swan-song to send The North Borders into the ether. Needless to say, the news has travelled: the show completely sold out over two months ago. Thankfully, we’re broadcasting the show live online: tune in to Boiler Room on 28th November to watch the whole fantastic spectacle unfold.
To appreciate the magnitude of this final hurrah in the meantime, here’s a photo-diary that contextualises quite how far they’ve come. It rides high and low between Europe, Australia and America, including snapshots of everything from sell-out shows at the Sydney Opera House to Si loafing around taking selfies with monkeys. It’s quite the journey.
