Little Stranger is coming back to Higher Ground, with Shwayze along for the ride

The Charleston duo's last Burlington show was in the Higher Ground Ballroom in October 2024. They're back in the same room on Thursday, Feb. 25, with Shwayze and Damn Skippy on the bill.

Late February in Chittenden County is when everybody is sick of the cold and nobody will say it. A Thursday night in the Ballroom with a band that sounds like a beach town might be the right fix. Little Stranger plays Higher Ground on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2027. Shwayze and Damn Skippy are on the bill too.

The basics, from the venue's listing: doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. The show is all ages, and tickets run $30.50 to $99. The Ballroom holds about 650 people. That's big enough for a real party and small enough that the back of the room still feels close to the stage.

It will be Little Stranger's first Burlington show since Oct. 13, 2024, when they played this same room. That's more than two years away from a market that took to them early. A lot has happened since. Higher Ground describes the band as a Charleston, South Carolina, alt indie hip-hop duo: Kevin and John Shields. They have spent the time since that last visit building a bigger catalog and a bigger road show. This year brought the album *Broken Hearted Boys Club* and a 34-date headlining tour behind it, starting July 23. Singles like "My Own Parade" and "Mexico" set up that summer and its festival run.

More than two years after their last visit, they're back in the same room.

Coming back this winter as a three-act package changes the night a little. Shwayze, the Malibu rapper, is on the same run. Their co-bill also stops at The Basement East in Nashville on Feb. 21, according to Live Nation's listing, a few nights before South Burlington. Damn Skippy is a name Higher Ground regulars may already know from other bills at the club, so get there for the early set.

Higher Ground itself needs no introduction around here. It's the Williston Road club where most touring acts of this size come through on the way between Boston and Montreal. Its two rooms let it book a midweek hip-hop bill like this alongside everything else. For a show like this, the Ballroom's wide floor matters: Little Stranger crowds tend to come to move, not to stand still and film.

If you were in the room in 2024, you know why this one is worth circling. If you weren't, a Thursday in February is a fine time to see what the Shields brothers' fans have been carrying on about. Tickets are on sale now through Higher Ground, and the band's own site is at littlestrangermusic.com.

Bring a coat you don't mind checking. You won't need it once the floor fills.

Sources: Higher Ground — Little Stranger event page (highergroundmusic.com); Higher Ground calendar (highergroundmusic.com); Little Stranger official site (littlestrangermusic.com); Live Nation — Little Stranger w/ Shwayze and Damn Skippy (Basement East) (livenation.com); The Pier — Little Stranger Return with "My Own Parade" Ahead of Massive Summer Tour Run (thepier.org); The Pier — Little Stranger Drop New Single "Mexico" Ahead of Festival Run and Summer Tour (thepier.org); Little Stranger & Jarv Link Up For New Single Feel Bout You - The Pier (thepier.org)