Fucking Champs Plan Extensive Tour

The only thing indie-metal exemplars the Fucking Champs do harder than play is fucking tour. Seriously, look at that monstrous list of dates situated below this flabby text block. Thing's about as big and thorny as one of guitarist Tim Greene's epic prog-metal riffs-- a list so nasty it needs a Marshall stack and a fucking foot board of effects pedals to satiate its desire for that Nordic, metal-style world domination. The Champs are in store for about two whole months of dates in celebration of trucker hat metal and ironic Iron Maiden love. Keepin' it real throughout, the King Crimson record of a tour sees the boys gracing various watering holes and metalhead havens in the U.S. during the month of April, only to do the same exact thing in Europe over the month of May. But, hey, it's equal opportunity, because who doesn't love to rock, right? Fresh off of two early April dates with Fucking Am collaborators Trans Am, Greene, and company will be joined by Parchman Farm, the Mass, and Black Taj. Dates:

04-07 Los Angeles, CA - Echo * #
04-08 Long Beach, CA - Alex's Bar * #
04-09 San Diego, CA - Casbah * #
04-10 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress * #
04-11 Marfa, TX - Goode Crowley Theater * #
04-13 Austin, TX - Emo's * #
04-14 Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves * #
04-15 Fayetteville, AR - JR's Lightbulb Club *
04-16 Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone *
04-07 Knoxville, TN - Pilot Light *
04-18 Atlanta, GA - E.A.R.L. *
04-19 Raleigh, NC - King's Tavern * %
04-20 Washington, DC - Black Cat *
04-21 Philadelphia, PA - North Star Bar *
04-22 New York, NY - Knitting Factory * %
04-23 Brooklyn, NY - North Six Club *
04-28 Reykjavik, Iceland - Grandrokk
04-29 Reykjavik, Iceland - Grandrokk
05-01 Manchester, England - Satan's Hollow
05-02 Sheffield, England - Corporation
05-03 Glasgow, Scotland - Nice N Sleazy
05-04 Newcastle, England - The Cluny
05-05 Leeds, England - Brundenell Social Club
05-06 London, England - Underworld
05-07 Tilburg, Netherlands - Little Devil
05-08 Den Helder, Netherlands - De Bliksem
05-09 Lille, France - Malterie
05-10 Hamburg, Germany - Hafenklang
05-11 Ghent, Belgium - Charlatan
05-12 Antwerp, Belgium - Kaaiman
05-13 Rotterdam, Netherlands - Waterfront
05-14 Munich, Germany - Kafe Kult
05-15 Vienna, Austria - Arena
05-16 Linz, Austria - Kapu
05-18 Geneva, Switzerland - L'Usine
05-24 Boston, MA - Middle East
05-25 Wallingford, CT - Wallingford American Legion

* w/ Parchman Farm
# w/ the Mass
% w/ Black Taj

Starflyer 59 to Tour U.S.

Starflyer 59 are quite simply a great band, or rather, a great one-man-band. Ringleader Jason Martin has been making albums since the early 90s, starting off with a heavily MBV-influenced eponymous debut. In the nine albums Martin has created since, he's resembled everyone from the Beach Boys to the Notwist, careening through simple pop tunes with soaring guitars and gorgeous melodies. And with the release of his latest LP on April 12, titled Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice, fate is taking Starflyer 59 on tour. Per usual, Martin will be bringing with a band of amiable touring musicians to help woo your aching soul. Take it outside:

04-23 Pomona, CA - Glass House (w/ Fielding, Map)
05-07 New York, NY - The Knitting Factory *
05-08 Cambridge, MA - Middle East Upstairs *
05-09 Philadelphia, PA - The Khyber *
05-10 Washington, DC - TBA *
05-11 Charlotte, NC - The Neighborhood Theatre *
05-12 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 *
05-13 Mt. Pleasant, SC - Village Tavern (w/ The Party People) *
05-14 Orlando, FL - Cornerstone Festival (w/ David Bazan)
05-15 Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn (W/ Headphones)

Black Keys Set to Begin Tour

Fresh off their extensive tour of Australia, and winding down their support of 2004's Rubber Factory, Ohio-based the Black Keys have announced on their website several tour dates in April. And although they obviously have much love for their homestate (they'll be playing three shows there), they also know where their musical roots lie. Soaked in blues, the band will cover most of the South and parts of Texas, before ending up back in Ohio. Fans in Columbus might also want to take notice of WWCD's CD101 Day (if WWCD hasn't already pounded the details into their heads) where the Keys will play alongside the Bravery, Ash, Ben Lee, and Dresden Dolls. It also appears that the band will be taking some time off after this venture, so drink up while you can. Dates:

04-08 Akron, OH - Lime Spider
04-09 Columbus, OH - PromoWest Pavilion
04-19 Louisville, KY - Headliners
04-20 Lexington, KY - The Dame
04-21 Detroit, MI - St. Andrew's Hall
04-22 Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge
04-23 Oxford, MS - Proud Larry's
04-24 Little Rock, AR - Juanita's
04-27 Oklahoma City, OK - Green Door
04-29 Austin, TX - Emo's
04-30 Houston, TX - Mary Jane's Fat Cat
05-03 New Orleans, LA - Twiropa
05-04 Pensacola, FL - Sluggo's
05-06 Tampa, FL - Skipper's Smokehouse
05-07 Orlando, FL - The Social
05-08 Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
05-10 Gainesville, FL - Common Grounds
05-11 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club
05-12 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
05-13 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
05-14 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
06-04 Toledo, OH - Bijou

Eels to Tour in Support of New Album

Hey European alt-pop fans, not enough tongue-in-cheek mopiness on your schedule this spring? Eels (no "the") are set to embark on an 18-date tour in support of their upcoming sixth studio album, Blinking Lights and Other Revelations. But before you kids stock up on the Coors and start growing out the mullet again, the band's official website has promised a slightly different take on the typical Eels live show, as abbreviated frontman E discusses a more subdued, string section-totin' trek.

"The past few Eels tours had taken a physical and emotional toll on me. I decided it was time to stop. But then one night I was in the backyard smoking a cigar with Bobby, Jr. and I was thinking about how we've been pummeling the audiences with variations on a distorted, rocking theme for the past few tours and wouldn't it be nice to do something really different? So here we come again. If you're looking for rock-- turn back. You've come to the wrong place. This is a whole other thing."

"A whole other thing," he says? I don't know about you, but frankly, we're gobsmacked at the proposition! U.S. fans will have a brief 2-date taste of said "thing", as they will play a pair of mid-May "warm up" shows before the bulk of the tour gets rolling in Dublin a week later. Full dates:

05-11 Santa Ana, CA - Galaxy Theatre
05-12 Hollywood, CA - Roxy Theatre
05-18 Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street
05-19 Birmingham, England - Butterworth Hall/ Warwick Arts Centre
05-20 Manchester, England - Bridgewater Hall
05-22 Glasgow, Scotland - Academy
05-23 London, England - Royal Festival Hall
05-24 Paris, France - Bataclan
05-26 Koln, Germany - Live Music Hall
05-27 Brussels, Belgium - Cirque Royale
05-28 Groningen, Netherlands - De Oosterpoort
05-29 Rotterdam, Netherlands - Schouwburg
05-30 Utrecht, Netherlands - Vredenburg
06-01 Munich, Germany - Tonhalle
06-02 Zurich, Switzerland - Volkshaus
06-04 Berlin, Germany - Postbanhof
06-05 Hamburg, Germany - Kleine Musikhalle
06-07 Stockholm, Sweden - Sodratheater
06-08 Oslo, Norway - Cosmopolite
06-09 Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega

As previously reported, Blinking Lights and Other Revelations is a 33-track monster (be sure to stock up on your Paxil), and features guest spots by Tom Waits, John Sebastian of the Lovin' Spoonful, and R.E.M.'s Peter Buck. This is the outfit's first LP since 2003's Shootenanny!, and will mark their debut for Vagrant Records when it hits stores on April 26. Tracks:

>> Disc 1:
01 Theme From Blinking Lights
02 From Which I Came/A Magic World
03 Son of a Bitch
04 Blinking Lights (For Me)
05 Trouble with Dreams
06 Marie Floating Over the Backyard
07 Suicide Life
08 In the Yard, Behind the Church
09 Railroad Man
10 The Other Shoe
11 Last Time We Spoke
12 Mother Mary
13 Going Fetal
14 Understanding Salesmen
15 Theme for a Pretty Girl That Makes You Believe God Exists
16 Checkout Blues
17 Blinking Lights (For You)

>> Disc 2:
01 Dust of Ages
02 Old Shit/New Shit
03 Bride of Theme from Blinking Lights
04 Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)
05 I'm Going to Stop Pretending That I Didn't Break Your Heart
06 To Lick Your Boots
07 If You See Natalie
08 Sweet Li'l Thing
09 Dusk: A Peach in the Orchard
10 Whatever Happened to Soy Bomb
11 Ugly Love
12 God's Silence
13 Losing Streak
14 Last Days of My Bitter Heart
15 The Stars Shine in the Sky Tonight
16 Things the Grandchildren Should Know

And finally, Eels have also posted an exclusive 4-track EP on Apple's iTunes this month. The Hey Man EP features the Blinking Lights track "Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)", as well as three previously unreleased ditties.

01 Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)
02 After the Operation
03 The Bright Side
04 Love of the Loveless (Live)

Shins to Kick Off U.S. Tour Tomorrow Night

Unfortunately, there's not much in the way of solid LP-recording news when it comes to the Shins. On the plus side, the New Mexican-bred indie pop wonders will begin yet another tour in quasi-support of Chutes Too Narrow tomorrow. Look at this way: The sooner they plow through these dates, the sooner they can sit down and write some more tunes. Presumably. New Zealand's the Brunettes have the honor of hanging out with the Shins on this jaunt and playing the opening set each night, and Talib Kweli will even hook up with the band at Brown University's Meehan Auditorium on April 21. Dates:

04-07 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom #
04-11 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue #
04-12 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue #
04-13 Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom #
04-14 Chicago, IL - The Congress Theater #
04-17 Toronto, Ontario - Kool Haus #
04-19 Montreal, Quebec - Spectrum #
04-21 Providence, RI - Meehan Auditorium (w/ Talib Kweli) #
04-23 New York, NY - Webster Hall #
04-24 New York, NY - Webster Hall #
04-25 New York, NY - Webster Hall #
04-27 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory #
04-28 Norfolk, VA - Norva #
04-29 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel #
04-30 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel #
05-03 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse #
05-04 Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom #
05-06 Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom #
05-08 Lawrence, KS - Liberty Hall #
05-09 Omaha, NE - Sokol Underground #
05-10 Denver, CO - Fillmore #
05-11 Salt Lake City, UT - Olpin Union Ballroom #
05-13 Seattle, WA - Bank of America Arena #
05-15 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom #
05-16 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom #

# with Brunettes

Antony and the Johnsons Set Massive European Tour

It's time for androgyny! The gender-bending Antony and his Johnsons are about to embark upon a nearly three-month tour of Europe in support of their album I Am a Bird Now. More a performance artist and cabaret singer than an indie rocker, Antony has a penchant for the, shall we say, off-beat. He appeared in Steve Buscemi's film Animal Factory as an androgynous convict singing to inmates and performed, "I Fell in Love With a Dead Boy" for Parisian transsexuals in Sebastien Lifshitz's film Wilde Side. So, expect the unexpected, folks.

According to the Antony and the Johnsons web site, dates are still being finalized. The band will appear at the On the Boards Festival in Seattle along with Devendra Banhart, CocoRosie, and William Basinski. Antony and Banhart have collaborated before; Banhart did a guest vocal on I Am a Bird Now and Antony contributed "The Lake" to Banhart's compilation Golden Apples of the Sun off Bastet Records. Bring glitter and a sense of whimsy (that includes you, guys) to any of these dates:

04-15 Rotterdam, Netherlands - Motel Mozaique Festival
04-16 London, England - Queen Elizabeth Hall
04-22 Seattle, WA - Behnke Center for Contemporary Performance, On the Boards Festival *
04-23 Seattle, WA - Behnke Center for Contemporary Performance, On the Boards Festival *
05-02 Milan, Italy - Teatro Ciak
05-03 Rome, Italy - Parco della Musica
05-04 Torino, Italy - Hiroshima Mon Amour
05-05 Sarzana, Italy - Jux Tap
05-06 Faenza, Italy - Teatro Masini
05-08 Catania, Italy - Mercati Generali
05-09 Napoli, Italy - Cortile Maschio Angioino
05-10 Leuven, Belgium - Stuk
05-11 Brussels, Belgium - Les Nuits Botanique
05-13 Oslo, Norway - Bla
05-14 Gothenburg, Sweden - Tragam
05-15 Stockholm, Sweden - Teatern
05-16 Copenhagen, Denmark - Loppen
05-17 Malmo, Sweden - KB
05-18 Aarhus, Denmark - Voxhall
05-20 Evreux, France - L'Abordage
05-21 Tourcoing (Lille), France - Le Grand Mix
05-23 Paris, France - Maroquinerie
05-25 Madrid, Spain - Colegio San Juan Evangelista
05-26 Sevilla, Spain - XV Century Monastery
05-27 Barcelona, Spain - Festival Primavera Sound, L'Auditori
05-29 Porto, Portugal - Casa da Musica
05-30 Famalicao, Portgual - Casa das Artes
05-31 Lisbon, Portugal - Aula Magna
06-11 Nijmegen, Netherlands - Lux Theatre
06-12 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
06-13 Groningen, Netherlands - Oosterpoort
06-15 Frankfurt, Germany - Main Volkesbuhne
06-16 Stuttgart, Germany - Manufaktur
06-18 Leipzig, Germany - Schaubuhne
06-19 Berlin, Germany - Volkesbuhne
06-20 Hamburg, Germany - Thalia Theater
06-21 Wuppertal, Germany - Forux Maximum at Rex Theater
06-22 Heidelberg, Germany - Karlstorbahnhof
06-26 Birmingham, England - Glee Club
06-27 Bristol, England - Trinity Arts Center
06-28 Manchester, England - Academy
06-30 Edinburgh, Scotland -Liquid Room
07-01 Glasgow, Scotland - Oran Mor
07-02 Dublin, Ireland - Vicar
07-03 Belfast, Northern Ireland - The Empire Music Hall
07-06 Madrid, Spain - Viajazz Festival
07-07 Montreux, Switzerland - Miles Davis Hall
07-08 Vienna, Austria - Arkadenhof Rathaus, Vienna Jazz Fest

* with Devendra Banhart, CocoRosie, and William Basinski

Clem Snide Tour Begins Today

Set to begin the second leg of their tour in support of End of Love, Clem Snide have secured a nice roster of opening acts to come along for at least part of the ride to maintain the quality of having Archer Prewitt in the wings of the tour's first leg. Marbles, Shivaree, and Bare Jr. will all contribute to some portion of the tour, but Narnack Records' Langhorne Slim will accompany Clem Snide through the bulk of the dates. Slim, who, unlike Clem Snide, is in fact a one man crew, has just released an EP on Narnack entitled The Electric Love Letter, and he will bring his warped take on folksy/alt-country/what-have-you music to several like-minded states in the South, as well as through Canada and the Midwest. The rest of you will have to put up with (or thoroughly enjoy, as the case may be) Clem Snide's antics without such an anecdote. Dates:

04-05 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress #
04-06 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre %
04-07 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall @
04-09 Seattle, WA - Neumo's @
04-10 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards #
04-13 Salt Lake City, UT - Velvet Lounge *
04-14 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge *
04-15 Kansas City, MO - Grand Emporium *
04-16 Columbia, MO - Mojo's +
04-17 St. Louis, MO - Blueberry Hill +
04-18 Lexington, KY - Kentucky Theatre *
04-19 Lexington, KY - The Dame ^
04-20 Newport, KY - Southgate House ^
04-21 Columbus, OH - Little Brother's ^
04-22 Lansing, MI - Temple Club *
04-27 Toronto, Ontario - Horseshoe Tavern*
04-28 Montreal, Quebec - Main Hall *
04-29 Boston, MA - Middle East Club*
04-30 North Adams, MA - Mass MoCA

# with Shivaree
% with Marbles
@ with Shivaree, Marbles
* with Langhorne Slim
+ with Langhorne Slim, Bare Jr.
^ with Langhorne Slim, Marbles

Faust to Release Impressions DVD

Faust have always been resolutely anti-image. In Krautrocksampler, Julian Cope's compendium of all things kosmische, he properly captured the mystique of the band's anonymity when he claimed, "You could show me 10 photos of Krautrock musicians, and I could not pick out the five members of Faust." And yet they've always been a highly visual band, represented by stunning and cryptic packaging, such as the X-Ray fist displayed on the clear plastic sleeve of their debut LP.

So it stands to reason that when Faust release a DVD, it will focus on anything but conventional narrative imagery, as is the case with Impressions. With the exception of a five-minute clip from a performance in Wümme circa 1971, Impressions consists of "spontaneous" visual compliments to songs from all three of their essential 1970s albums, as well as three unreleased tracks. Veteran Krautrocker Werner "Zappi" Diermaier has also embellished the original songs, adding percussion and found sounds to the mix, resulting in compositions described on the Faust homepage as "raw, wild, and organic." Call them improvised music video experiments, if you wish. The first edition will also be bundled with a four-track CD of soundtracks taken from Diermaier's "solo" DVD project, I Spin. Here's the Impressions song list:

01 D-Machine
02 Ice Rain (aka It's a Rainy Day (Sunshine Girl), Rainy Day, Stretch Over All Times)
03 Why Don't You Eat Carrots?
04 Waiting for Eternity (aka So Far, Not Nearest By, So Far (alternative))
05 The Sad Skinhead (aka The Sad Skin, Sad Skin Two)
06 Desert (aka Rien)
07 Component
08 Listen (aka Listen to the Fish)
09 We Need You

Keith Fullerton Whitman and Greg Davis Ready to Tour

Some projects are just too big to tackle alone. George W's gun-slinging world politics needed a little Tony Blair damage control; Oprah's crusades against housewife doldrums need a little Dr. Phil tough love. And when you're out to create a laptop epic using over 18 hours of source material, you're probably going to need to involve more than one creative mind.

Keith Fullerton Whitman and Greg Davis are all over it. Performing independently under their given names and with the monikers Hrvatski, Parallel, and Asterisk, Whitman and Davis have covered everything from drone to breakbeat to jazz. Together they recently tackled the laptop monstrosity Yearlong, a set of improvised compositions assembled from hours upon of hours of sound, recorded while on tour in 2001 and 2002.

Now that the arduous process of editing the album is past, Whitman and Davis are free to spread their abstract joy, meaning that they're touring the east coast this April. Kranky Records' the Bird Show will support the majority of the tour with the exception of their last two dates, where they'll be playing with the Books. Tour dates:

04-05 - Burlington, VT - Radio Bean *
04-06 - Montreal, Canada - Casa Del Popolo *
04-08 - Montague, MA - Montague Bookmill *
04-09 - Edgartown, MA - Aboveground Records *
04-10 - Portland, ME - Local 188 *
04-11 - Boston - Massachusetts College of Art *
04-12 - Providence, RI - White Electric *
04-13 - New Haven, CT - Yale University (sans Whitman) *
04-14 - New York, NY - Siberia *
04-15 - Brooklyn, NY - Asterisk Art Project *
04-17 - Washington D.C. - 611 Florida House *
04-18 - Greensboro, NC - Gate City Noise *
04-19 - Asheville, NC - Akumi *
04-20 - Knoxville, TN - The Pilotlight *
04-21 - Nashville, TN - Angle of View *
04-22 - Atlanta, GA - Lenny's Bar *
04-23 - Tallahassee, FL - Pocket Sandwich Emporium *
04-24 - Orlando, FL - The Peacock Room *
04-25 - Tampa, FL - New World Brewery *
04-26 - Sarasota, FL - New College of Florida *
04-27 - Chapel Hill, NC - Nightlight *
04-29 - Boston, MA - Museum of Fine Arts %
05-02 - New York, NY - Knitting Factory %

* with the Bird Show
% with the Books

Moby Prepares to Tour World

Supporting his recently released LP, Hotel (which, believe us, needs all the support it can get), Moby will kick off a tour on April 11 that features stops across North America, Portugal, and the UK. The outing also includes an appearance at the annual Super Bock Super Rock Festival, and a lone opening date for R.E.M. in Ireland. Michael Stipe and Moby on the same bill?? Ah, the luck of the Irish...

Dates:

04-11 Norfolk, VA - The NorVa
04-12 Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
04-14 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
04-15 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
04-16 Boston, MA - Avalon
04-17 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis
04-18 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre
04-20 New York, NY - Webster Hall
04-22 Detroit, MI - State Theatre
04-23 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
04-24 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
04-25 Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre
04-27 Salt Lake City, UT - In the Venue
04-28 Las Vegas, NV - Hard Rock Hotel
05-01 Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
05-03 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
05-04 Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
05-06 San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
05-07 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern LG
05-08 San Diego, CA - 4th & B
05-16 Glasgow, Scotland - Carling Glasgow Academy
05-17 Manchester, England - Carling Apollo Manchester
05-18 Birmingham, England - Carling Birmingham Academy
05-19 London, England - Carling Brixton Academy
05-28 Lisbon, Portugal - Parque Tejo (Super Bock Super Rock Festival)
06-19 Dublin, Ireland - Ardgillan Castle (with R.E.M.)

Olivia Tremor Schedule U.S., UK Shows

As previously reported, Olivia Tremor Control, the psychedelic savants of the Elephant 6 collective are dusting off breakup rumors and reforming to play the All Tomorrow's Parties festival later this month in East Sussex. Pitchfork has learned, however, that the group will be playing two other shows, one in their 90s hometown of Athens, Geo., at the 40 Watt on April 15-- as a sort of dress rehearsal-- and another in London before ATP.

Jon Polk from Team Clermont publicity said the band's reformation was brought about by a request to play at the ATP festival, but that the Athens date was added as a warm up of sorts and, "to please the local faithful who had been clamoring for an OTC show for years." According to Polk, the group has been practicing three to four times a week. Fellow Elephant 6ers Elf Power will offer support in Athens.

Olivia Tremor Control formed in Louisiana in the late 80s as the trio of Will Cullen Hart, Bill Doss, and Jeff Mangum, but wound up in Athens in 1990. After Mangum left to focus on Neutral Milk Hotel, John Fernandes joined to fill the void and the group recorded The Giant Day EP. The band then added drummer and electronics whiz Eric Harris, who helped guide it toward Music From the Unrealized Film Script, Dusk at Cubist Castle, the band's jaw-dropping 1996 debut LP.

However, following the 1999 album Black Foliage: Animation Music, the band went on an extended hiatus, as a few members left to pursue side projects. By 2001, the Olivia Tremor Control had pretty much splintered, with Doss forming the Sunshine Fix, Hart forming the Circulatory System, and keyboardist Pete Erchick forming Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't.

In January, Fernandes spoke to Pitchfork about future plans, but insisted the brief reunion is a one-time affair. As for the possibility of new recordings from the group, Fernandes responded: "Not at the present time, but we are going to reissue more out-of-print Olivia Tremor Control material later this year on Cloud Recordings. We recently got the rights back to Singles and Beyond from Emperor Norton, so we will reissue that along with the Olivia Tremor Control/Black Swan Network collaboration."

So at least we've got that to look forward to.

04-15 - Athens, GA - 40 Watt
04-21 - London, England - The Garage
04-22-24 - Camber Sands, England - All Tomorrow's Parties Festival

Interpol, Spoon to Kick Off European Tour Tomorrow

Recently signing an international distribution deal with Matador, Spoon will join fellow Matadorians Interpol on a tour through Western Europe. Kicking off Wednesday, the tour will take most of April, before both bands go their separate ways. Interpol will play two festivals in the States in May and June before going back to Europe to play some summer festivals, as well as shows with Coldplay and U2. Meanwhile, Spoon will tour with the Clientele throughout North America. On the last two dates, in their native Texas, Sally Crewe and the Sudden Moves will join their sometimes collaborators for the last two shows. Spoonmen Britt Daniel and Jim Eno have worked with the Sudden Moves in the past.

And don't forget, Gimme Fiction comes out on May 10 via Merge (and May 9 internationally via Matador), shortly after the end of the European tour. Enjoy:

Interpol and Spoon:
04-06 Dublin, Ireland - Olympia
04-08 London, England - Brixton Academy
04-11 Hamburg, Germany - Grosse Freiheit
04-12 Koln, Germany - E-Werk
04-13 Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle
04-15 Treviso, Italy - New Age
04-16 Firenze, Italy - Saschall
04-17 Modena, Italy - Vox Club
04-19 Bordeaux, France - Krakatoa
04-20 Nantes, France - Halle de la Trocardiere
04-21 Paris, France - Le Zenith
04-24 Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz
04-25 Madrid, Spain - La Riviera

Interpol:
04-09 London, England - Brixton Academy @
04-23 Bourges, France - Printemps de Bourges $
05-14 Baltimore, MD - M&T Bank Stadium (WHFStival)
06-10 Atlanta, GA - Music Midtown Festival
06-21 Glasgow, Scotland - Hampden Park !
06-22 Dublin, Ireland - Marlay Park *
06-23 Dublin, Ireland - Marlay Park *
06-26 Nijmegen, Netherlands - Rock in Park festival
06-28 London, England - Crystal Palace Athletic Stadium *
07-01 Belfort, France - Eurockeennes de Belfort
07-02 Werchter, Belgium - Rock Werchter Festival
07-03 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07-10 Kinross, Scotland - T in the Park festival
08-13 Tokyo, Japan - SummerSonic
08-14 Osaka, Japan - SummerSonic

Spoon:
04-30 Indio, CA - Coachella
06-01 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse #
06-02 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle #
06-03 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club #
06-04 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts #
06-05 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace #
06-06 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street #
06-07 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club #
06-08 New York, NY - Webster Hall #
06-09 New York, NY - Webster Hall #
06-10 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom #
06-11 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre #
06-12 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue (Early Show) #
06-13 Lawrence, KS - Granada #
06-14 Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre #
06-16 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom #
06-17 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom #
06-18 Seattle, WA - The Showbox #
06-20 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore #
06-22 Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre #
06-24 Dallas, TX - Gypsy Ballroom %
06-25 Austin, TX - Stubb's BBQ %

@ w/ M83
$ w/ Gomm, Bloc Party
! w/ U2
* w/ Coldplay
# w/ Clientele
% w/ Clientele, Sally Crewe and the Sudden Moves

Do you have a news tip for us? Anything crazy happen at a show you attended recently? Do you have inside info on the bands we cover? Is one of your favorite artists (that's not somebody you know personally) releasing a new record you'd like to see covered? You will remain completely anonymous, unless we are given your express permission to reveal your identity. (Please note that publicists, managers, booking agents, and other artist representatives are generally exempt from this rule, but will also be granted anonymity if requested.)