MIDLAKE will be celebrating the release of “The Courage Of Others” this Monday with an exclusive in-store performance at Rough Trade East… The first 250 people to purchase the album from Rough Trade will receive a wristband for the event that evening… In other exciting news Midlake are releasing “The Courage Of Others” in a (very) limited edition super-deluxe heavy-weight vinyl edition… Destined to be a major collector’s item for Midlake fans, this special release includes double vinyl, CD, Live CD, 32 page booklet, and a DVD documentary directed by their friend (and biggest fan) Jason Lee… and its all yours for the bargain price of £75! Midlake upcoming live dates below…

Thursday 28 January – LONDON – Tabernacle [New to Q show] **(SOLD-OUT!)**

Sunday 31 January – LONDON – Wilton’s Hall [MOJO show] **(SOLD-OUT!)**

Monday 1 February – LONDON – Rough Trade East (Instore – 7pm)

Friday 12 February – BRISTOL – Anson Rooms (£15)

Monday 15 February – GLASGOW – ABC (£15)

Tuesday 16 February – BIRMINGHAM – Town Hall (£15)

Wednesday 17 February – MANCHESTER – Academy  **(SOLD-OUT!)**

Thursday 18 February – LONDON – Shepherds Bush Empire  **(SOLD-OUT!)**

MIDLAKE make their long-awaited and return in February 2010 with “THE COURAGE OF OTHERS”, their most complete and beautiful body of work yet, and their definitive artistic statement to date…

So what’s changed since The Trials of Van Occupanther, their second, hugely loved breakthrough album? Just as that record was in part inspired by the soft(er) rock of the early-to-mid 1970s – from Neil Young and America to Fleetwood Mac – so Midlake’s new album also looks to a slightly earlier, and definitely British, trad-tainted folk sound. It may share the same gorgeously analogue-warm electro-acoustic template as Van Occupanther but it’s a slower, darker and more carved record, both eerier and dreamier. Perfect, in other words, for its February release date, at the height of winter.

Neither do the new songs feature any hermit-scientists like Van Occupanther, or the mythical Roscoe. The songs that constitute The Courage Of Others, Tim says, are closer to his heart than those of their first two albums because, “I don’t feel I’m looking at the songs through someone else’s eyes. I’ve tried to keep it as true to myself as I could.” Guitarist Eric Pulido adds, “We didn’t want to make the same album as Van Occupanther, so we carried on moving and creating and pushing for a newer sound and emotion.”

“The Courage Of Others” is released on Bella Union records on 1st February 2010.

Tags: Australian drum and bass/electronic rock, Gareth McGrillen, Paul Harding, Paul Kodish, Pendulum, Peredur ap Gwynedd, Rob Swire

Following Pendulum’s album preview DJ tour of Australia scheduled for December 2009 and an exclusive album preview dj set which will be streamed from their EARSTORM night at London’s matter night-club on January 22nd – MAY 2010 sees Pendulum hit the road at full steam when they embark on a momentous must-see LIVE tour of the UK and Ireland to coincide with the release of their new album ‘IMMERSION’ [working title].

‘It’s been two years in the making and I’m more excited about this record than anything we’ve ever done. We’ve been lucky enough to collaborate with some of our idols, played live alongside some of the biggest names in rock and electronic music, and finally set up a permanent studio in London. We’ve learnt so much during the process and this next record really does feel like a culmination of all those experiences. I’d say it’s almost ‘The Perfect Storm’ but that shitty film with George Clooney ruined the phrase.”

Rob Swire, Pendulum

Having now sold over 1 million records worldwide, completing a sell out Academy tour in 2008 and smashing the international festival circuit last summer, which included breakthrough appearances at GLASTONBURY, DOWNLOAD, V and GLOBAL GATHERING to name a few, Pendulum take their brand new headline show bursting with new material around the UK and Ireland, which includes a landmark show at London’s WEMBLEY ARENA.

TOUR DATES- MAY 2010 – Support from Sub Focus [Live]

17^TH BELFAST, ULSTER HALL                                  028 9033 4455

18^TH DUBLIN, OLYMPIA                                                     +353 818 719 330

20^TH EDINBURGH, CORN EXCHANGE                                0844 4999 990

21^ST BLACKPOOL, EMPRESS BALLROOM                          0871 2200 260

22^ND DONCASTER, DOME                                                        0871 2200 260

25^TH BRIGHTON, CENTRE                                                        0844 8471 515

26^TH BIRMINGHAM, ACADEMY                                           0844 477 2000

28^TH LONDON, WEMBLEY ARENA                                       0844 815 0815

29^TH CARDIFF, ARENA                                                              029 2022 4488

30^TH PLYMOUTH, PAVILLIONS                                             0845 146 1460

31^ST SWINDON, OASIS CENTRE                                           01793 445 401

Tickets are on sale from FRIDAY 4TH DECEMBER 2009 and priced £22.50, except Belfast £21.50 and Dublin €30
Tickets can be purchased on the numbers above or at www.gigsandtours.com and www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Sign Up at www.pendulum.com for EXCLUSIVE PRE-SALE

Tags: American alternative rock, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Blues, folk revival, garage rock, Leah Shapiro, neo-psychedelia, Peter Hayes, Robert Levon Been

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are set to release their fifth studio album, Beat The Devil’s Tattoo, on the 8^th March 2010. This release signifis the band’s first full-length on their own Abstract Dragon label, in partnership with Vagrant Records and Co-Op Music Group. The band wrote and recorded the majority of the album at The Basement Studio in Philadelphia, PA – the same room where they wrote and recorded “Howl” the rest was done in their hometown Los Angeles. Beat The Devil’s Tattoo also marks the first album with drummer Leah Shapiro.

The trio are primed to embark on a North American headline tour, kicking off February 26 in Sacramento and culminating at New York City’s Webster Hall on April 8.   Immediately following the band will head across the Atlantic for a string of shows in the UK and Europe. Shows go on sale 4.12.09. All tickets are priced at £15.00, apart from London which are priced at £18.50.

BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB – UK  HEADLINE TOUR

APRIL

Fri 16^th Glasgow        ABC

Sat17^th Whitehaven       Civic Hall

Mon19^th Newcastle                  University

Tue 20^th Manchester               Ritz

Wed 21^st Leamington               Spa Assembly

Thu 22^nd Southampton            Uni

Fri 23^rd London                      Forum

Sat 24^th Nottingham               Rock City

Mon 26^th Leeds                          Academy

Tue 27^th Liverpool               Academy

Wed 28^th Wolverhampton    Wulfun Hall

Thu 29^th Brighton                    Concorde 2

The band’s first ever 2 DVD, 1 CD set LIVE (Abstract Dragon/Vagrant), is available now. The DVDs feature more than two hours of concert footage captured from three sold out shows in Berlin, Dublin and Glasgow, and chronicles the end of the band’s 2007 tour in support of Baby 81. Additionally, it includes intimate, behind-the-scenes footage, glimpses into the making of 2005’s Howl and is rounded out with a bonus live album featuring 14 songs.

Tags: Alternative Rock, Brian Molko, Dave Bascombe, Placebo, Stefan Olsdal, Steve Forrest

Having had an incredible year to date which has seen the band play to over 1 million people across the globe, Placebo have announced they are to release a new version of ‘Bright Lights’, mixed by Dave Bascombe (Soulwax, Goldfrapp, LadyHawke and Funeral For A Friend) on February 8^th 2010 to continue where they left off in 2009. The single will feature new remixes from the multi-talented Alex Metric and D’n’B new kid on the block, Randomer.

With their latest album ‘Battle For The Sun’ having sold over half a million sales worldwide so far this year and garnering critical acclaim across the board, Placebo have proved themselves to be just as relevant as they ever were:

“This is Placebo’s most coherent, energized album to date, displaying an unswerving focus.” - Classic Rock

“New album ‘Battle For The Sun’ is among some of Placebo’s finest work.” – Kerrang!

“Magnificently airy, stadium-sized tunes.” – The Telegraph

“Experience all the benefits of a great band.” – NME

“Placebo at their breathtaking, irresistible best.” – Mojo

In addition to the tour and single release, ‘Placebo Live At The Roundhouse’ will be released exclusively on iTunes on December 6th, featuring the band’s full 19-track set which was performed in July in London. The album will available as a single live album for £5.99 and as a bundle with ‘Battle For The Sun’ for £8.99. The full tracklisting is:

Kitty Litter

Ashtray Heart

Battle For The Sun

For What It’s Worth

Soulmates

Speak In Tongues

Cops

Every You And Every Me

Special Needs

The Never-Ending Why

Devil In The Details

Happy You’re Gone

Meds

Come Undone

Special K

Song To Say Ggoodbye

Infra-Red

Bitter End

Taste In Men

Placebo recently claimed ‘Best Alternative‘ award at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2009, voted for by fans, showing the high regard they are still held in. Add that to their upcoming UK arena tour, which takes in London’s The O2, and you’ve got a very successful year.

The UK tour dates are:

Tuesday 8^th – Birmingham LG Arena

Wednesday 9^th – London The O2

Friday 11^th – Bridlington Spa

Saturday 12^th – Manchester Central

Monday 14^th – Glasgow SECC

Tuesday 15^th - Dublin Olympia Theatre

Wednesday 16^th - Dublin Olympia Theatre

Tags: A Grave With No Name, Ariel Pink, Spectrals

Mesmeric three piece A Grave With No Name have slowly and steadily been building a reputation for themselves as one of the most adventurous and captivating bands we have at the moment, folding layers of distortion and noise into fragile melodies and wistful, heartbreaking lyricism to create a sound uniquely their own. Their forthcoming debut, “Mountain Debris”, released on No Pain in Pop, is a testament to their brittle beauty, collecting together long sold out singles and EP’s and never before heard recordings to form a cohesive, albeit deeply haunting, whole.

To coincide with the album release on December 7, they are playing a show with perhaps the godfather of all things brilliant and eccentric, Ariel Pink, as he makes one of his all too rare trips to the UK. As if this wasn’t exciting enough, support comes from hotly tipped nouveau doo-wop posters Spectrals, sure to enchant the crowd with their charmingly ramshackle take on vintage 50’s pop, and Design A Wave. Without a doubt, this is a show not to be missed.

Tags: Electronica, Nate Smith, Pete Cafarella, Shy Child, Wall of Sound

New York’s much-loved electronica duo Shy Child have announced details of their return next year and the release of a brand new album. ‘Liquid Love’ will be available on 1st March 2010 via Wall of Sound. The first teaser track ‘Criss Cross’ from the album is available to download for FREE now from the Shy Child official site (www.shychild.com). There’s no sign-up needed, fans can grab the Mp3 and share to their heart’s content.

Their previous album, the critical and commercial breakthrough “Noise Won’t Stop”, brought the duo of Pete Cafarella (vocals, keytar) and Nate Smith (drums) to worldwide attention, landing them supports with the likes of The Klaxons and Muse, bringing them on a global tour that took in Europe, the US and Australia, and even performing for Stella McCartney at Swarovski’s Fashion Rocks event, and Jools Holland on “Later…”. Their forthcoming album however, released on the venerable Wall of Sound label, promises even more. It is brimming over with a surfeit of offbeat ideas and addictive melodies, overstuffed with their trademark infectious beats and off the wall flourishes. Brace yourself for the onslaught; 2010 will belong to Shy Child once more.

Tags: Common Dreads, Enter Shikari, The Prodigy

In a display of generosity, Enter Shikari offers to the world a free download of the previously unreleased ‘radio mix’ of album track ‘Wall‘. Originally remixed by ‘Common Dreads‘ producer Andy Gray specifically for radio promo use, the track was deemed too different and of interest to fans to remain locked away, but too similar to the original to have the cheek to charge cold hard cash for. So, instead, it’s being offered out as a free download for anyone that wants to take it. The track can be found here: www.musicglue.com/entershikari

Enter Shikari are proud as all hell to be able to announce the fantastic The King Blues as special guests for their UK tour in February 2010. The tour includes a date at Blackpool’s majestic Empress Ballroom and the band’s largest headline show of their career, London’s Hammersmith Apollo.

The full dates look like:

Saturday 6th Feb – BLACKPOOL – Empress Ballroom

Sunday 7th Feb – GLASGOW – Barrowlands

Tuesday 9th Feb – MIDDLESBROUGH – Empire

Thursday 11th Feb – BOURNEMOUTH – Academy

Friday 12th Feb – LONDON – Hammersmith Apollo

All shows are 14+, any other act[s] are still TBC. You can grab tickets from www.crowdsurge.com/entershikari and a host of other ticket outlets.

Following their European Arena tour supporting The Prodigy – due to start next week (12th Nov in Finland) – Enter Shikari are honoured to find themselves invited to join The Prodigy again next year, this time for their biggest ever headline show.

The event takes place at Milton Keynes Bowl on July 24th 2010, and features a very impressive line-up that goes like this:

The Prodigy

Pendulum

Enter Shikari

Chase & Status

Does It Offend You, Yeah?

Tickets are available from www.gigsandtours.com and all other reputable online agents.

Tags: Rock Music, You Me At Six

Fast ascending rock outfit YOU ME AT SIX have confirmed details of their biggest headline tour to date which concludes with a show at London’s Brixton Academy. Tickets for the tour – set for March 2010 – will be made available through an innovative 48 hour presale scheme that will reward longstanding fans for their loyalty.

Fans who purchased a copy of the band’s acclaimed debut album ‘Take Off Your Colours’ (original or deluxe versions) will be able to access the tour’s presale on November 4th by opening a virtual locker called YOU ME AT SIX: BACKSTAGE at www.youmeatsix.co.uk. The locker can be accessed simply by inserting a copy of the album into the PC drive. Fans who bought the album on iTunes will also be able to gain entry. Opening the locker triggers another surprise as it unveils details of an exclusive competition in which fans can win the chance to meet YOU ME AT SIX at the video shoot for their brand new single and record a behind the scenes blog on behalf of the band. Plus there will be a brand new tour poster to download for free and other YOU ME AT SIX goodies.

Any remaining tickets will then go on general sale on November 6th priced at £16 for London and £15 for all regional dates.

The tour is scheduled as below:

March 2010

9th – Birmingham, O2 Academy
10th – Newport, Centre
11th – Sheffield, O2 Academy
12th – Manchester, Apollo
13th – Newcastle, O2 Academy
14th – Glasgow, O2 Academy
16th – Leeds, O2 Academy
17th – Nottingham Rock City
18th – Southampton, Guildhall
19th – Norwich, UEA
20th – London, Brixton O2 Academy

The confirmation of this tour is the latest progression in YOU ME AT SIX’s climb to the top. Their famously incendiary live show has graced the stage of London’s Roundhouse, as well as festival dates including Download, Reading, Leeds and T in the Park. They conclude 2009 with a tour as support to Paramore on their December UK arena tour.

YOU ME AT SIX are currently finishing material for their second album, expect more details very soon!

Tags: Nevermind, Nirvana, Reading

Ranked #1 in Kerrang Magazine’s “100 Gigs That Shook The World” and voted as “Nirvana’s #1 Greatest Moment” by fans in an NME poll, Nirvana’s historic August 30, 1992 headlining appearance at the UK’s Reading Festival is one of the most bootlegged concerts in the annals of rock’n’roll.  Now, fans will have an opportunity to own a pristine copy of that entire performance – with colour-corrected video from the original film with audio sourced from the original multi-track masters.  Nirvana Live At Reading will be issued in a limited edition DVD+CD Deluxe Edition as well as DVD-only, CD-only configurations on November 2, 2009, followed by a 2 LP version on November 16, 2009.

While the show’s centerpiece was a performance of nearly the entire Nevermind tracklist, also noteworthy were early performances of three as yet unrecorded songs which wouldn’t be released until two years later on - In Utero’s All Apologies, Dumb and in its first ever public performance, tourette’s. The career-spanning setlist also reached back to the band’s 1989 Sub Pop debut album, Bleach, for Blew, About A Girl, School, Negative Creep and first single Love Buzz and even further back to the mid-‘80s for Spank Thru.  Other songs from the Reading set would appear in studio form on the Incesticide compilation later in the year: Aneurysm, Been A Son and Sliver.  Additionally, the band played a pair of beloved covers by two bands that helped shape the formative Nirvana sound – The Money Will Roll Right In by Fang and D-7 by The Wipers.

Only 2 of the 25 performances on the DVD have ever been released before.

Nirvana Live At Reading DVD:

1.     Breed

2.     Drain You

3.     Aneurysm

4.     School

5.     Sliver

6.     In Bloom

7.     Come As You Are

8.     Lithium

9.     About A Girl

10.   tourette’s

11.   Polly

12.   Lounge Act

13.   Smells Like Teen Spirit

14.   On A Plain

15.   Negative Creep

16.   Been A Son

17.   All Apologies

18.   Blew

19. Dumb

20. Stay Away

21. Spank Thru

22. Love Buzz*

23. The Money Will Roll Right In

24. D-7

25. Territorial Pissings

*not included on CD

“Nirvana headlining at Reading in 1992 was something you had to see, and if you didn’t see it then it was something you pretended you saw.” –Kerrang (October 2003)

“The staggering energy and intensity radiating from the stage never let up… Cobain’s ravaged pop songs coming off like some dream marriage of the Sex Pistols and the Beatles, borne on bracing waves of distorted guitar noise.” –Rolling Stone (October 29, 1992)

Tags: CMJ, Elliot Minor, FranKo

FranKo’s UK tour with Elliot Minor begins today, catch the boys live at one of the following dates –

November:

Wed 4th – Wrexham , Central Station
Thu 5th – Porstmouth, Wedgewood Rooms
Fri 6th – Oxford, O2 Academy 2
Sat 7th – Northampton, Roadmender
Mon 9th – Exeter, Pheonix Arts Centre
Tue 10th – Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
Thu 12th – Leeds, Cockpit
Fri 13th – Coventry, Kasbah
Sat 14th – Birmingham, 02 Academy 2
Mon 16th – Cambridge, Junction
Tue 17th – Norwich, Waterfront
Wed 18th – Manchester, Academy 2
Thu 19th – Swansea, Sin City
Fri 20th – London, HMV Forum
Sat 21st – Newcastle, O2 Academy
Thr 26th – Aberdeen, HMV Moshulu
Fri 27th – Dundee, Fat Sams
Sat 28th – Edinburgh, HMV Picturehouse

The band have just returned from New York where they performed at the prestigious music industry conference, CMJ. Check out some footage of their time in New York here –

http://www.sendspace.com/file/jlpqb3