In this time of instant downloads and decreasing album sales, it seems as though the EP format has had a new lease of life. A way for an artist to get a nice snapshot of their material out to the masses without having to commit the resources to a full album. For more established artists, it acts as a stop-gap medium, a way to appease fans prior to the next album proper, or a chance to experiment a bit more.

As the album releases have gone a bit stale in the run up to Christmas, I thought I’d take the opportunity to appraise a few EP’s that have been gaining some press and are currently, if not soon to be, on the selves of your local record shop. Continue Reading

Thomas Tantrum

White Lies

Glasvegas

Glasvegas have been announced as headliners of next year’s Shockwaves NME Awards Tour.

This annual showcase for the “hottest new acts in the country” will take in 17 towns and will also feature White Lies, Friendly Fires and Florence And The Machine. And, let’s be honest, that’s quite a TLOBF-friendly list…

Tickets for the tour go on sale tomorrow (November 12th) at 9am.

January
29 Liverpool University
30 Glasgow Academy

February
1 Newcastle Academy
3 Sheffield Academy
4 Birmingham Academy
6 Manchester Academy
8 Leeds Academy
10 Lincoln Engine Shed
11 Nottingham Rock City
12 Norwich UEA
14 Cardiff University
15 Bristol Academy
16 Brighton Dome
17 Oxford Academy
19 Portsmouth Pyramid
20 Cambridge Corn Exchange
21 Brixton Academy

Glasvegas’ self-titled debute is being re-released as a deluxe 2CD version on December 1st through Columbia Records. The limited edition album will include the six-track Christmas bonus disc, A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like A Kiss), which will also be available for digital download on the same day. The tracklisting of the bonus disc, in non-sequential order, is:

Please Come Back Home
Cruel Moon
Careful What You Wish For
Fuck You, It’s Over
A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like A Kiss)
Silent Night / Noapte de vis

A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like A Kiss) was recorded in Transylvania earlier this month and includes The Concentus Choir singing ‘Silent Night’ (in English & Romanian) at St Nicholas Church in Brasov.

On a more tour-related note, dates on their November / December tour are practically sold out, with only the remaining having tickets going:

Sat 29th Nov - Swansea Sin City (01792 654 226)
Sat 6th Dec - Sheffield Plug (0114 241 3040 www.the-plug.com)
Wed 10th Dec - Preston 53 Degrees (01772 893000 www.53degrees.net)
Thu 11th Dec - Hull University (01482 466264 www.seetickets.com)
Wed 31st Dec - Edinburgh Hogmany Street Party (Waverley Stage)

White Lies have been confirmed as main support on the Glasvegas tour beginning November 28th.

All dates are below and available at the newly launched www.whitelies.com:

25th September - Nottingham Bodega (White Lies headline)
26th September - Sheffield Leadmill (White Lies headline)
28th September - Bristol Thekla (White Lies headline)
29th September - Brighton Komedia (White Lies headline)
1st October - Norwich Arts Centre (White Lies headline) - SOLD OUT
2nd October - Newcastle The Cluny (White Lies headline)

3rd October - Glasgow King Tuts (White Lies headline) - SOLD OUT
4th October - Leeds Faversham (White Lies headline) - SOLD OUT
6th October - Oxford Academy (White Lies headline)
7th October - London ICA (White Lies headline) - SOLD OUT

26th November - London Koko (White Lies headline)
28th November - Bristol Anson Rooms (with Glasvegas)
29th November - Swansea Sin City (with Glasvegas)
30th November - Cambridge Junction (with Glasvegas)

1st December - London Shepherds Bush Empire (with Glasvegas) - SOLD OUT
3rd December - Nottingham Trent University (with Glasvegas)
4th December - Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall (with Glasvegas)
6th December - Sheffield The Plug (with Glasvegas)
7th December - Leeds Metropolitan University (with Glasvegas)
8th December - Manchester Academy 2 (with Glasvegas) - SOLD OUT
10th December - Preston 53 Degrees (with Glasvegas)
11th December - Hull University (with Glasvegas)
12th December - Newcastle Digital (with Glasvegas) - SOLD OUT
14th December - Dublin Academy (with Glasvegas) - SOLD OUT
15th December - Belfast Spring & Airbourne (with Glasvegas)
16th December - Glasgow Barrowlands (with Glasvegas) - SOLD OUT

Tickets for White Lies’ headline shows are available via www.gigsandtours.com, www.livenation.co.uk or www.ticketweb.co.uk.

Tickets for the Glasvegas shows are available via www.artisticket.com and are priced at £12, except Belfast where they are £10.

Let’s strip back the hype and approach this album in an unblinkered way. The debut album from Scottish four-piece Glasvegas is a fractured and splintered contemporary view of modern Britain. Their sound takes cues from a whole range of influences, from the Joy Division aping guitars and drums to their Phil Spector “Wall of Sound” production. It’s certainly an accomplished sound, one that’s way beyond their years. Remember, it took Arcade Fire a second attempt to get this feel…
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To coincide with the release of their new single ‘Daddy’s Gone’ (August 25th), and self-titled debut album September 8th, Glasvegas have announced their biggest UK tour to date. The full dates are:

August
Wed 27th - Birmingham Barfly
Thu 28 - Stoke Sugarmill

September
Wed 3rd - Dundee Fat Sams
Fri 5th - Glasgow QMU
Sun 7th - Edinburgh Liquid Room
Tue 9th - Liverpool Barfly
Sat 13th - Bristol Trinity
Sun 14th - Sheffield Plug
Mon 15th - Leeds Cockpit
Tue 16th - York Junction
Wed 17th - Manchester Academy
Sat 20th - Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms
Sun 21st - Gloucester Guildhall
Mon 22nd - Cardiff Barfly
Tue 23rd - London Scala
Thu 25th - Nottingham Rescue Rooms

Tickets are onsale now and are priced at a rather reasonable £8.00 except for London £9.50.

Details have emerged on the promising debut album by Glasgow’s Glasvegas. Their self-titled debut will be released on September 8th and weill be preceded by the reissue of Daddy’s Gone as a single on August 25th, which will come backed with a cover of Nirvana’s Come As You Are and a new song A Little Thing Called Fear.

Tracklisting:
Flowers & Football Tops
Geraldine
It’s My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry
Lonesome Swan
Go Square Go
Polmont On My Mind
Daddy’s Gone
Stabbed
SADLight
Ice Cream Van