Pitchfork

Kicking off the new year in faux-thrift store style, the Strokes finally delivered their third LP, First Impressions of Earth, to stores across the globe this week. Meanwhile, scraps of information about the band's much-hyped touring plans have been rolling in, with a UK jaunt announced in November, and a not-so-secret U.S. mini-tour revealed this week.

According to a recent fan club email from Papa Stroke (aka manager) Ryan Gentles, the group will play a batch of American promotional shows this week, starting last nite at Chicago's Park West.

And while news of the Strokes' first U.S. shows in forever is cool and all, it's definitely not cool that the majority of tickets will only be available from local radio station contests. So you'll probably have to make fake fart noises or prank call your boss on air to win.

Juicy Juice:

01-05 Seattle, WA - Crocodile Café
01-06 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
01-09 Atlanta, GA - The Loft
01-24 London, England - Shepherds Bush Empire
01-25 Bristol, England - Colston Hall
01-27 Nottingham, England - Nottingham Ice Arena
01-28 Doncaster, England - Doncaster Dome
01-30 Manchester, England - Apollo
01-31 Manchester, England - Apollo
02-03 Brighton, England - Brighton Centre
02-04 Portsmouth, England - Guildhall
02-07 Glasgow, Scotland - Glasgow Academy
02-08 Glasgow, Scotland - Glasgow Academy
02-10 Edinburgh, Scotland - Corn Exchange
02-11 Hull, England - City Hall
02-13 Wolverhampton, England - Civic Hall
02-14 Blackpool, England - Empress Ballroom
02-17 London, England - Hammersmith Apollo
02-18 London, England - Hammersmith Apollo
02-20 Belfast, N. Ireland - Ulster Hall
02-21 Dublin, Ireland - The Point

More dates are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks, as Gentles also kindly laid out a rough sketch of the band's complete live activity for the remainder of 2006. It just so happens to include a "full" U.S. tour running from late February to mid-April, with a Canadian leg following shortly afterwards. Another trek across Europe is expected in May and June, with the remainder of the summer tentatively set for Australia and Japan.

In other Strokes news, First Impressions of Earth's first single, "Juicebox", debuted at number one on Billboard's Top 100 Singles Sales chart after its December 13 release. Don't get too excited, though-- think about how many artists actually release physical singles in the U.S. nowadays. Exactly.

The Strokes will also promote their new album with a couple of TV appearances. Singer/mumbler Julian Casablancas was recently interviewed on Jim Shearer's "T-Minus Rock" show on MTV2, and the interview will air at 11 am every day this week. The band will also record a half-hour special for Fuse in mid-January, with the show scheduled for broadcast later this year.

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