Frightened Rabbit announce tour dates and new single

Scottish indie-folk heroes Frightened Rabbit have announced details of a November tour in support of a brand new single.

Swim Until You Can’t See Land will be the first release from the band’s upcoming third album, and is out November 16 via digital release and 7″ vinyl.

Singer Scott Hutchison explains: “Swim Until You Can’t See Land was the title I had in my mind before I even started writing the album. I was becoming more and more interested in the idea of a rejection of the habits and behaviour most people see as normal, and in turn embracing a certain madness.

“It’s about losing your mind in order to reset the mind and the body. Forget what’s gone before and wash it out. This is not necessarily a geographical journey, as the ’swim’ can involve any activity in which you can lose yourself. It’s a good introduction to the record as the theme unravels therein.”

Muso-speak maybe, but we love Frightened Rabbit here at TMM, and we look forward to hearing the new record, which should drop early next year.

The band will also head out on a giant tour in November in support of the new single. The dates:

NOVEMBER
07 Aldershot, West End Centre
09 Oxford, Academy 2
10 York, Duchess of York
11 Nottingham, Bodega
12 Liverpool, Academy 2
14 Coventry, Kasbah
15 Northampton, Roadmenders
16 Brighton, Corn Exchange
17 Southampton, University
19 Exeter, Lemon Grove
20 London, Troxy
21 Tunbridge Wells, Forum
22 Cambridge, Soul Tree
24 Sheffield, Plug
25 Whitehaven, Civic Hall
27 Fort William, BA Club
28 Stirling, Tolbooth
29 Inverness, Ironworks

DECEMBER
01 Aberdeen, Moshulu
02 Dundee, Fat Sams
05 Galway, Black Box
07 Dublin, Academy^
08 Dublin, Academy^
09 Belfast, Mandella Hall^
13 Manchester, Ritz^
14 London, Shepherds Bush Empire^
22 Glasgow, ABC

(^ dates with Modest Mouse)

This article was written for TMM.

Chapman Family epic tour in offing

The hottest band from Middlesbrough since…well…er..anyway, a great new band from Middlesbrough, the Chapman Family, will tour extensively from next month in support of a new single.

Virgins will be released on October 19 and the band will support the single with a massive six-week jaunt from the beginning of next month, starting in Stockton-on-Tees, working all the way around the country, before finishing off with a homecoming show at Middlesbrough’s Empire on November 14. If they survive that long.

Those tour dates (all 28 of them, we counted) in full, there’s bound to be one near you:

OCTOBER
02 Stockton-on-Tees, Kubar
03 Liverpool, Academy 2
05 Derby, Rockhouse (Club NME)
06 York, The Duchess
07 Manchester, Ruby Lounge
09 London, KOKO (Club NME)
10 Leeds, Met Uni
11 Hull, The Lamp
12 Coventry, Kasbah
15 Newcastle, Cluny
14 Sheffield, The Plug
16 Stoke, Sugarmill
17 Preston, Mad Ferret
18 Wrexham, Central Station
28 Brighton, Engine Rooms
29 London, Barfly (XFM Night)
30 Bristol, Start The Bus
31 Oxford, Bullingdon

NOVEMBER
02 Cardiff, Barfly
03 Southampton, Hamptons
04 Guildford, Boiler Room
05 Winchester, The Railway
06 Wimbledon, The Watershed
07 Reading, Plug ‘N’ Play
08 Harlow, Club Quartroz
12 Edinburgh, Sneaky Petes
13 Glasgow, King Tuts
14 Middlesbrough, The Empire

Tickets aren’t much more than a fiver for most shows, and are available now, from here.

This article was written for TMM.

Lily and Dizzee to share arena shows

The other day we ran a story suggesting Lily Allen was about to quit music and this morning the Smile singer has announced a pair of joint-headline arena gigs with Dizzee Rascal in the Spring.

Whether the two shows are a final ‘Goodbye’ from Allen to her fans or not remains to be seen, while they represent an epochal moment in the stratospheric rise of Dizzee Rascal into the mainstream.

Lily and Dizzee (We just love typing that, it rhymes so well) praised each other in a statement released to accompany the announcement of the gigs.

“I’m really looking forward to playing these special shows – I’m a massive fan of what Dizzee does,” Allen said, while Dizzee commented: “Lily and I have both worked well in the past so it’s no doubt these shows will be nights to remember.”

The shows will take place at Manchester’s MEN Arena on March 5, and London’s O2 two nights later. Tickets are on sale next Friday (October 9) at 9am.

This article was written for TMM.

Girls to tour next month

Californian duo Girls are to spend next month converting the UK masses to their wondrous brand of summery yet dark pop rock.

We like them a lot.We reckon they’re a modern Beach Boys, with twinges of fellow loved-by-TMM bands the XX and the Big Pink. In short – pretty bloody brilliant.

Those tour dates in full:

OCTOBER
09 Nottingham, Bodega Social Club
10 Liverpool, Korova
11 Manchester, Night & Day
13 Glasgow, Captain’s Rest
14 Edinburgh, Sneaky Pete’s
15 Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
16 Bristol, The Cooler
17 Birmingham, Academy 3
19 Brighton, The Albert
20 London, Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
21 Tunbridge Wells, Forum
23 Cardiff, SWN Festival

Tickets are from here and are just six of your English pounds for the non-London dates. £6! That’s a bargain if ever there was one. See you down the front.

The band also play the Lexington in that London town next Monday (21 September) with an instore at the Rough Trade East shop the following day. You’ll be able to buy the band’s tremendous debut record Album a week before release at the Rough Trade East show. To whet your appetite, you can watch the video for their stonking single Lust for Life here.

This article was written for TMM.

Arctic Monkeys announce winter arena tour

Arctic Monkeys will embrace their step up to the big time with a tour of huge arenas in November.

The Sheffield rockers, who today celebrate the start of their second week atop the album charts with their third record, Humbug (which we adore), will begin in lucky Liverpool on Friday 13 November before wrapping up the tour in Dublin two weeks later.

The tour is set to be an indication of big the band can get. Other bands have turned to arenas as they look to expand their live sound, and then struggled for somewhere to go next. It will be interesting to see how Arctic Monkeys cope with the step up.

The dates in full:

NOVEMBER

13 LIVERPOOL, Echo Arena
14 SHEFFIELD, Arena
16 NEWCASTLE, MetroRadio Arena
18 LONDON, Wembley Arena
20 BIRMINGHAM, NIA
21 MANCHESTER, MEN Arena
22 NOTTINGHAM, Trent FM Arena
24 GLASGOW, SECC
25 BELFAST, The Odyssey
26 DUBLIN, The O2

This article was written for TMM.

Manchester Orchestra to support Biffy Clyro

American indie-rockers Manchester Orchestra (neither an orchestra or from Manchester – why do bands lie to us?) have been announced as the main support band for Biffy Clyro’s upcoming UK tour.

The band are promoting their second album proper, titled Mean Everything To Nothing, which is streaming on Spotify now, is released on September 7, and was reviewed by us here.

The band also play Leeds and Reading festivals this weekend, appearing on the NME/Radio 1 stage on Friday in Reading and Sunday at Leeds.

The Biffy dates in full:

OCTOBER
28 Belfast, St George?s Market
29 Dublin, Olympia

NOVEMBER
1 Dundee, Caird Hall
2 Glasgow, Barrowlands
3 Glasgow, Barrowlands
4 Newcastle, Academy
6 Leeds, Academy
7 Manchester, Apollo
8 Nottingham, Rock City
9 Birmingham, Academy
11 Norwich, UEA
12 London, Brixton Academy
15 Cardiff, University
16 Southampton, Guildhall

The tour should be a revelation, with the two bands complementing each other nicely as they both strive for new levels of epicness in rock music.

This article was written for TMM.

Ian Brown quashes Stone Roses reunion rumours further with new album and tour

Ian Brown has announced details of a new winter tour to complement his new album, to be released next month.

The 16-date jaunt starts in Leicester at the end of November and culminates in a giant homecoming show at the MEN Arena on December 19.

The dates in full are:

NOVEMBER
29 Leicester, De Montfort Hall~
30 Southend, Cliffs Pavilion

DECEMBER
1 Ipswich, Regent
3 Bournemouth, O2 Academy
4 London Brixton, O2 Academy
5 London Brixton, O2 Academy
7 Cambridge, Corn Exchange
8 Sheffield, O2 Academy
10 Leeds, O2 Academy
11 Leeds, O2 Academy
12 Liverpool, University
14 Newcastle, City Hall
15 Edinburgh, Picture House
16 Glasgow, O2 Academy
18 Birmingham, O2 Academy
19 Manchester, MEN Arena

Tickets go on sale on Thursday (August 27) from 9am and can be bought from www.gigsandtours.com and www.ticketmaster.co.uk.

Brown’s sixth solo record, titled My Way (we don’t think it’s a collection of Sinatra covers) is out September 28 through Fiction Records and the lead single Stellify – which is ace by the way, a real return to form – is available for download now.

This article was written for The Music Magazine.

Dead Weather coming to UK this Autumn

Busy bee Jack White will tour the UK this October with the Dead Weather.

In case you can’t keep up, the Dead Weather are the garage-rock four piece fronted by Kills singer lady Alison Mosshart (we think she was trying to make bandmate Jamie Hince jealous in return for his romance with Kate Moss, but that might be just us).

The band are promoting their debut album Horehound – which we thought was great – rush-released back in July, and will play Academy-sized venues throughout our fair isle. Tickets are on sale this Friday morning (14 August).

Those dates in full:

OCTOBER

19 Manchester, Academy
21 Newcastle, 02 Academy
22 Edinburgh, Picture House
23 Leeds, 02 Academy
25 Bristol 02 Academy
26 Birmingham, 02 Academy
29 London, 02 Brixton Academy

This was written for The Music Magazine.

The Maccabees to hit the road

It’s announcing-tours time! Next up – the Maccabees. The London indie-poppers will tour from the end of September, starting in Bristol and ending in Leeds, with the band’s first Brixton Academy show in the middle somewhere.

The group’s second record Wall of Arms was a gigantic surprise, and probably marks them as this year’s most improved band. It was a deliciously dark album, the yang to the yin that was their unbearably happy and twee debut.

We liked it a lot and recommend you go see them live. We certainly will be.

Those tour dates in full, then:

SEPTEMBER

30 Bristol, Academy

OCTOBER

1 Birmingham, Academy
2 Norwich, UEA
3 London, Brixton Academy
5 Nottingham, Rock City
6 Manchester, Academy
7 Newcastle, Academy
9 Glasgow, ABC
10 Leeds, Academy

The article was also written for The Music Magazine.

Lightspeed Champion announces London date

Dev Hynes, aka Lightspeed Champion, has announced a festival warm-up show in London at the end of this month.

The hat-wearing folky hero will play the Garage venue on October 28, the day before his Leeds festival show. He will then play the Reading leg of the festival the day after.

Tickets are just a tenner and are on sale now from here.

The former Test Icicles man will be previewing material from his upcoming second album, the follow-up to 2008’s Falling off the Lavender Bridge.

This article was written for The Music Magazine.