Pitchfork

How can you tell a Hold Steady fan? Is it the shoulder, slightly ajar from all the fist pumping? The watch, constantly set on beer o'clock? Or is it the Stay Positive temporary tattoo affixed to their upper arm? For most, it's the first two, but for 1,000 UK fans lucky enough to nab one of the band's new limited edition, etched 7"s for the recently Forkcasted "Sequestered in Memphis", it's the tattoo that comes with which will serve as the premier mark of the cult of Finn. At least, until it washes off.

The small-batch "Sequestered" 7" is due in UK stores July 7 from Rough Trade, just a week before Stay Positive emerges. Stateside listeners, never fear: bring a printout of the Rough Trade tat to your local ink emporium, nab "Sequestered in Memphis" on iTunes right now, and wait patiently for Vagrant's July 15 release of Stay Positive.

Oh and the Stay Positive cover? That's it up there.

When they're not branding their fans, the Hold Steady are out there rocking shows. Next up is June 8 in Chula Vista, CA, though you know the one we're looking forward to the most: July 19 at the Pitchfork Music Festival.

The Hold Steady:

06-08 Chula Vista, CA - Devore Stadium Field (94.9 Independence Jam)
06-27 Baltimore, MD - Ram's Head Live !
06-28 Philadelphia, PA - Festival Pier (Paul Green School of Rock Music Festival) ^
06-29 Brooklyn, NY - McCarren Park Pool
07-06 London, England - Hyde Park (O2 Wireless Festival)
07-08 Liverpool, England - Echo Arena (Summer Pops)
07-10 Leeds, England - The Irish Centre
07-11 Newcastle, England - Carling Academy 2
07-12 Kinross, Scotland - T in the Park Festival
07-17 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom %
07-18 Pontiac, MI - Crofoot Ballroom %
07-19 Chicago, IL - Union Park (Pitchfork Music Festival) $
07-21 Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre %
07-22 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue %
07-23 Fargo, ND - Fargo Theatre %
07-26 Seattle, WA - Capitol Hill Block Party
07-27 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom %
07-29 San Francisco, CA - Mezzanine %
07-30 Los Angeles, CA - Avalon %
08-02 Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre %
08-03 El Paso, TX - Club 101 %
08-05 Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom %
08-06 Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa %
08-08 Oxford, MS - Proud Larry's %
08-09 Athens, GA - 40 Watt %
08-10 Charleston, SC - The Pourhouse %
08-12 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle %
08-13 Norfolk, VA - The Norva %

! with Birds of Avalon
^ with Devo
% with the Loved Ones
$ with Animal Collective, Jarvis Cocker, !!!, Vampire Weekend, Dizzee Rascal, Fleet Foxes, Caribou, Jay Reatard, Titus Andronicus, No Age, Atlas Sound, Extra Golden, Fuck Buttons, Elf Power, the Ruby Suns, Icy Demons, A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Boban I Marko Markovic Orkestar