JG Thirlwell appears at talk about German Alternative scene with Gudrun Gut, Vivien Goldman

JG Thirlwell

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a generation of young Germans became infected by the punk virus. Not for them schlager-schmaltz, smiling chart pop, droning kosmische: they craved voltage, attitude, rewiring. Their enemies were multiple: capitalism, boredom, housewifery, piety, the spectre of nuclear war. In punk—its sounds and attitudes—they found an alternative community. Bands were formed, fanzines scribbled, DIY labels started, clubs and underground venues developed. Wild, inventive music emerged—Malaria!, DAF, Äbwarts, Einstürzende Neubaten, Die Tödliche Doris. Angles and edge, raw rhythms, the dance floor deconstructed.

A panel discussion at the Goethe-Institut in NYC brings together three of the most revered and restless figures of the punk and post-punk era. Gudrun Gut, JG Thirlwell, and Vivien Goldman will discuss the musical and social revolutions they experienced in Germany, the ways in which punk questioned the freedoms offered by the state, its post-unification legacies. What does—could—German punk mean in 2026?

Goethe-Institut 30 Irving Place New York, NY 10003. November 5 2026 6.30pm – 8.30pm. Free admission.

JG Thirlwell live score to Harry Smith at Nitehawk Cinema Brooklyn

JG Thirlwell

On November 11 2026, JG Thirlwell will perform a live score to the legendary Harry Smith film Heaven and Earth Magic at the Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg in Brooklyn NYC. Heaven and Earth Magic is a 1962 avant-garde stop-motion animation. Its surreal imagery, drawn from cutups of 19th century catalogs, has a mystical and hypnotic quality that has entranced viewers for decades.

This will be a solo performance by Thirlwell in immersive four channel sound, performed on keyboards with computer / sample programs and theremin. The score was commissioned by L’Etrange Film Festival in Paris and premiered there in 2024. Thirlwell has also performed this project in  San Francisco, Los Angeles and Woodstock. Tickets are available here. 

Oren Ambarchi & Randall Dunn in Conversation with JG Thirlwell

JG Thirlwell

As part of the Kou Records Festival at the new Blank Forms Performance Space in NYC, JG Thirlwell will be leading a discussion with Oren Ambarchi and Randall Dunn after their performances. The discussion will concern the artists’ practices and approaches to their work and where they place it aesthetically and existentially. The event takes place at Blank Forms, 151 Lafayette Street, 6th floor, NYC on October 31 2026.

Oren Ambarchi is an Australian multi-instrumentalist and musical polymath whose practice centers on the extended possibilities of the guitar. A prolific solo artist and consummate collaborator, he has performed and recorded with a diverse array of artists across three decades — notably with the Ghosted trio alongside Johan Berthling and Andreas Werliin, and his ongoing trio with Keiji Haino and Jim O’Rourke.

Randall Dunn produces records, composes scores, and directs sound for film. He has worked with Sunn O))), Earth, and Boris among many others. In 2017 he founded Circular Ruin Studios in NYC. He just released Manifold of Partially Actualized Realities on Kou Records.

Tickets are available here

New Foetus NYC shirt design available for pre-order

JG Thirlwell

We are excited to announce the official Foetus NYC t-shirt inspired by the logo of a legendary and beloved hip-hop group from Hollis, Queens. This striking design is printed on a Bella-Canvas Jersey Black Tee, and available in small, medium, large, XL, XXL, XXXL. This limited edition, gorgeous garment is a perfect conversation starter at your next mixer. Pre-order your shirt now at  the Foetus Shoppe. Shirts will ship in late October / early November.

JG Thirlwell’s Archer Soundtracks Volume 2 and 3 Released in Sept 2026

JG Thirlwell

         We’re thrilled to announce the release of two new albums by JG Thirlwell featuring the brilliant soundtrack work that he created for the animated series Archer. The albums are entitled Archer Original Soundtrack Volume Two and Archer Original Soundtrack Volume Three. 

Volume Two features score created for seasons 9-11 and contains 43 tracks. Volume Three features score created for seasons 12-14 and contains 54 tracks. Thirlwell composed and performed all the music, with occasional guest musicians on select tracks. Thirlwell recorded, engineered, mixed and produced all of the music at his studio, Self Immolation Studios in Brooklyn, NY.

JG Thirlwell started scoring the FX series in 2014, beginning with on season 7. Prior to Thirlwell joining the series the show had been using library music for the score for seasons 1-6.

The show won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Series for season 7. Thirlwell stayed with the show and scored every episode until it was canceled in 2024 after Season 14. Archer Original Soundtrack Volume 1 was released in 2024 by Iam8bit on vinyl and digital.

Archer Volume Two and Archer Volume Three will be released by Disney Music Group via  Hollywood Records, in digital and on all streaming services, on September 19 2026.

JG Thirlwell in NYC Comix Anthology

JG Thirlwell

Real Life Comix, Only in New York (Hardcover, 216 pgs.) features 51 short stories in a sprawling graphic novel anthology celebrating the grit, glory, absurdity and heart of life in New York City.

Co-edited by veteran comix creators Dean Haspiel and Doug Latino, this vibrant collection brings together a wildly eclectic mix of legendary and emerging voices, including New Yorker cartoonists, MAD contributors, and American Splendor collaborators. Storytellers hail from across comix, comics, graphic novels, literature, art, film, and music, each offering their own take on the city that never sleeps–humorous, heartbreaking, surreal or unmistakably true–capturing the everyday chaos and accidental poetry of New York life.

The anthology features work from cultural luminaries and underground icons alike, including Roz Chast, David Collier, Joe Dator, Gary Dumm, Liana Finck, Bob Fingerman, Drew Friedman, Danny Hellman, Ben Katchor, Gideon Kendall, Keith Knight, Peter Kuper, Barbara Willy Mendes, Rachelle Meyer, Josh Neufeld, Ann Nocenti, Rick Parker, R. Sikoryak, Noah Van Sciver, Doug Latino, Julia Wertz, Ron Wimberly, Jonathan Ames, Karl Stevens, Onur Tukel, Spencer Alexander, Wesley Allsbrook, Dieu Sam B., Jonathan Baylis, Nick Bertozzi, Wendy Blake, C. Cassano, Cecil Castellucci, Ezra Cumbo, Vito Delsante, Jen Ferguson, Dean Haspiel, Charles Fetherolf, Christopher Gomez, Ben Granoff, James Greene, Sarah Lee Grillo, Jennifer Hayden, Ariel Kahtan, Whitney Matheson, Jared Miller, Moby, Chris Miskiewicz, Eli Neugboren, Ayoko Nito, Pat Palermo, Joan Reilly, Peter Rostovsky, Gil Roth, Rani Som, JG Thirlwell, Cynthia Von Buhler, Sean Von Gorman, Steve Walker, Owen Brozman, Carol Tyler, and Tony Wolf–each conveying a singular voice and style within the city’s ever-evolving mythology.

The book features a striking cover by acclaimed sibling illustrators Maria and Peter Hoey, a preface by Columbia University’s Karen Green and a foreword and two illustrated contributions by the one and only Drew Friedman.

You can purchase the book here

JG Thirlwell backs Thurston Moore and Anne Waldman on Burroughs Tribute Box Set

JG Thirlwell

The Travel Agency Is On Fire featuring poet Anne Waldman and musician Thurston Moore, is the second major studio composition by bassist and composer James Ilgenfritz to deal with the work of 20th century experimental writer William S. Burroughs.

The second disc features Waldman’s and Moore’s readings accompanied by musical backing from JG Thirlwell on two of the tracks, as well as musical contributions from by Bob Bellerue, AC Diamond, Chuck Bettis and others.

This limited-edition hand-assembled 4-CD box set on September 25, 2026 on Infrequent Seams. Each box set includes a hand-painted box, decorative slipcover, 12-page booklet, and four CDs. Two discs feature Waldman and Moore reading the Burroughs texts, while the 3rd and 4th discs showcase selections from the instrumental recording sessions, featuring Zeena Parkins, Elliott Sharp, William Winant, Daniel Carter, Brian Chase, and others.

Foetus 20 piece Orchestra scheduled for Shadowland fest July 2027

JG Thirlwell

JG Thirlwell will be assembling a 20 piece chamber orchestra to perform as Foetus at the Shadowlands Festival, presenting material from the latest Foetus album HALT (2026) and selections of earlier Foetus material. The orchestra will feature a string section, brass section, harp, woodwind, keyboards and percussion as well as guitar, bass and drums.

It will be Thirlwell’s first appearance as Foetus in the UK over 25 years, and only the second time the work has been presented by a live orchestra (the first being at the Donaufestival in Krems, Austria in 2005). Thirlwell has worked extensively with ensembles in the last thirty years and will be bringing all his arranging talents to the pinnacle for this unique performance, a UK exclusive.

Shadowlands is a brand new boutique international music festival that will take place across four days at the beginning of July 2027 in the historic city of Canterbury in south-east England. Focusing on alternative, electronic, avant-garde and experimental artists, the festival will also feature Lustmord, Test Dept, Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan, Regis (feat. Liam Andrews), Clock DVA, The Wolfgang Press, Githead, hackedepicciotto, People Like Us, Portion Control, :Zoviet*France: and more. Further acts will be announced in August.

You can purchase tickets to the Festival at https://thegulbenkian.co.uk/events/shadowlands/

JG Thirlwell performs Live Score to Harry Smith in San Francisco

JG Thirlwell

On September 4 2026, JG Thirlwell will perform a live score to the legendary Harry Smith film Heaven and Earth Magic at the Gray Area Grand Theater in San Francisco for the Crossroads 2026 Festival, presented by SF Cinematheque. Heaven and Earth Magic is a 1962 avant-garde stop-motion animation. Its surreal imagery, drawn from cutups of 19th century catalogs, has a mystical and hypnotic quality that has entranced viewers for decades.The program opens with Thirlwell’s 2018 film Sonder.

This will be a solo performance by Thirlwell in immersive four channel sound, performed on keyboards with computer / sample programs and theremin. The score was commissioned by L’Etrange Film Festival in Paris and premiered there in 2024. Tickets are available here. 

Soft Cell x JG Thirlwell “Ghost Rider” EP available now!

JG Thirlwell

We are thrilled to announce the release of the long awaited Soft Cell x JG Thirlwell Ghost Rider Remix EP. The EP consists of three brand new and radically different remixes of the Soft Cell / JG Thirlwell version of the Suicide song “Ghost Rider”. including the Accelerator Mix, Brake Caliper Mix and Camshaft Mix,as well as instrumentals of the Accelerator and Camshaft mixes. The song features vocals from both Marc Almond and Thirlwell, with guest sax from Gary Barnacle. It was mastered by Josh Bonati.
It is a strictly limited edition on blood red and black swirly vinyl coloured vinyl 5-track 12” EP. released on the UK label Cherry Red. The sleeve is designed by JG Thirlwell. You can order it here, and hear it on your favorite streaming service. Official release date was 09.04.26.