My Bloody Valentine Announce North American Tour!
Yo La Tengo, Dinosaur Jr., Mercury Rev, Harmonia, Lilys, Growing join ATP New York

Well my little gazers of shoe, it's finally happening. My Bloody Valentine have revealed that they will pack up all the Jaguars and Jazzmasters and all the folks who have to constantly re-tune those Jaguars and Jazzmasters for an extended visit to the United States of America (and Toronto)-- one that will include the previously freaked-out-about and recently-expanded ATP New York, along with seven additional dates.

Following the ATP hysteria, Kevin Shields, Bilinda Butcher, Debbie Googe, and Colm O'Ciosoig kick things off September 22 in New York City and don't let go of the whammy bars until October 2 in Los Angeles. Man, I'm getting all wobbly-legged just thinking about it.

At this point it's sorta hard to believe the Valentines still haven't shown their reunited selves in public yet (hence the nearly-two-decades-old photos everyone keeps using). Their first comeback gig goes down June 20 in London, as you know, and quite a few follow around Europe and even Japan before MBV hit our shores.

And hey, we did mention that ATP New York has expanded, didn't we? The fest, co-curated by My Bloody Valentine, now includes appearances from Yo La Tengo, Dinosaur Jr., Mercury Rev, Harmonia, Lilys, and Growing in addition to MBV and all those other cool people. ATP has released another batch of tickets for the strictly limited event, and those are on sale now via the fest's website.

Finally, don't forget the Kevin Shields/Patti Smith meetup The Coral Sea, which blows up a compact-disc-reading device near you on July 11 via the pair's own PASK imprint. [MORE...]

Sonic Youth to Perform Daydream Nation at Primavera
Barcelona fest also adds Girl Talk, Apples in Stereo, Black Mountain

Sonic Youth are rather amped to perform their masterpiece Daydream Nation live in its entirety. A short while ago, they added a second London performance of the album as part of ATP's Don't Look Back series, and now Thurston, Kim, Lee, and Steve have announced that they will play Daydream three months earlier at Barcelona's Primavera Sound Festival on June 2.

As previously reported, Slint will also play their own magnum opus, Spiderland, at both Primavera and Don't Look Back.

Along with Sonic Youth, Primavera has also added Girl Talk, the Apples in Stereo, Black Mountain, Shannon Wright, and X-Wife to its impressive lineup, with more acts TBA. These folks join Smashing Pumpkins, Modest Mouse, Wilco, Patti Smith, Explosions in the Sky, and heaps more at Barcelona's Parc del Fòrum from May 31 thru June 2. Thanks once again to reader Xavi Guasch for the tip!

Sonic Youth's next tour dates are in April, when they will play with Vooredoms in Japan and travel to China for their first shows there. Thurston Moore, however, has a few shows scheduled this month (including a pair of SXSW appearances) under his own name and with Bark Haze. The Eagles of Hair Metal, a group that includes Keith Fullerton Whitman and Alan Licht, play on the last date. [MORE...]

Portishead Debut New Song at Secret Live Gig!

Photo by Grumpy Man DJs

Fans who check Portishead's MySpace hourly likely stumbled across the following somewhat cryptic message today from Geoff Barrow:

"thanks for everyone who came down to see me dj last night and the responce to the live stuff, even though it was only 2 songs. beth and ade enjoyed playin as well.

"sorry we didnt tell everyone about the gig but its good to do things like that every now and again, and its a tiny place."

He added, "ps. the new song hasnt even got a name yet."

Wait a minute-- live stuff? Beth and Ade?? New song??!

Believe it. Reconvening for their first live appearance since February, 2005's Tsunami Benefit one-off-- and debuting brand new material-- the Portishead supertrio of Geoff Barrow, Adrian Utley, and Beth Gibbons played two songs to a tiny, unsuspecting crowd at Bristol's Mr Wolfs last night.

Alert Pitchfork reader Hector Gutierez was on hand to witness the magic, billed under the guise of a Grumpy Man DJs event featuring a guest appearance by Barrow. "After a couple of hours [spinning] eclectic sadcore classics from the likes of Tom Waits and Joy Division," wrote Gutierez, "Geoff and...Adrian Utley began to play 'Wandering Star'-- Geoff playing bass. A few bars in Geoff picked up the mike and asked 'Anyone here know how to sing?' At this point Beth walked on stage and started singing."

Apparently even venue staff were unaware of the live gig, and the person working the door actually charged Gibbons entry.

"The second song was brand new," Gutierez continued, "presumably from the forthcoming (if you believe the rumours, sometime this year) album. Rarely have I seen a room full of people all wear exactly the same facial expression, but when I looked at the crowd everyone had their mouths gaping and eyes wide open as if they were witnessing an alien landing. It was wonderful. The new song was completely gorgeous, carried by Beth's vocals and with very low-key instrumentation."

As the Grumpy Man website colorfully put it, "Adrian and Beth joined Geoff onstage and blew all our collective brains to shit." Thankfully said website also includes a link to a bunch of photos from the event. Rumor has it YouTube footage is likely to surface soon, so keep your person situated in front of the internet at all times for the latest developments in the 10+ year saga of Portishead's third album.

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