American Analog Set

If the name Andrew Kenny means anything to you, you'll be pretty darn excited that the American Analog Set mainman has a new band. They're called The Wooden Birds, an album (Magnolia) is due out in Spring and UK touring plans are afoot. In the meantime, check their Myspace for a couple of tunes.

Brakes

The Brighton-based outfit have announced a February headline tour in support of new record Touchdown. As reported previously, the release is preceded by a single, 'Hey Hey', on March 2nd. Touchdown is due on April 20th via FatCat.

January
28 London Proud Galleries
30 Guildford The Boiler Room

February
1 Manchester MoHo Live
2 Cardiff UWIC Tommy's Bar
3 Exeter Cavern Club
5 Sheffield Fuzz Club
6 Cambridge Junction
7 Brighton Albert

The Bronx/Fucked Up/Rolo Tomassi (Shred Yr Face 2)

The above trio head out on tour in a month's time. Expect much face shredding. Dates as follows:

February
26 Leeds Cockpit
27 Glasgow Garage
28 Manchester Club Academy

March
2 Cardiff Ifor Bach
3 Nottingham Rescue Rooms
4 London Electric Ballroom
5 Brighton Concorde
6 Birmingham Academy

Doves

New Doves album, new Doves dates... The follow-up to 2005's Some Cities has finally been finished. The epic-Manc's have reportedly spent the past 18 months ensconced in a farm house–come-studio in backwaters of Cheshire, working with long time Doves collaborator Dan Austin to co produce all but 2 tracks (Radiohead/Muse/Stone Roses producer John Leckie did the other two) to make this new album entitled Kingdom of Rust. Obviously, we've not heard it yet but the press release says we can expect "an album that is the Doves most sonically adventurous, intimate, cerebral, propulsive and most eclectic record to date," is set to be released in April.

Kingdom Of Rust is released 6th April 2009 preceded by a single, also called 'Kingdom Of Rust' on 30th March. The album track-listing is as follows...

1. Jetstream
2. Kingdom of Rust
3. The Outsiders
4. Winter Hill
5. 10.03
6. The Greatest Denier
7. Birds Flew Backwards
8. Spellbound
9. Compulsion
10. House Of Mirrors
11. Lifelines

Doves also return to the road for the first time since 2005

March

12 Warrington Parr Hall
13 Middlesbrough Empire
15 Glasgow ABC
17 Coventry Kasbah
18 Portsmouth Pyramid Centre
19 London Forum

Tickets are on sale 30th January go to Doves.net for more details and for a free download of new track 'Jetstream' which we're just waiting for it to download but the press release says is "fitted with a propulsive krautrock motorik, it inherits the bands dance DNA from their former Sub Sub extraction." (lol?)

Joe Gideon & The Shark

Swampy art-rock pair Joe Gideon & The Shark take to the waves this week with renegade blues man Seasick Steve for a string of dates around the UK. The brother/sister duo have also been confirmed to support Wire at London's Cargo on February 24th.

JG&TS were the subject of a DiScover article last year - check it out here. Their single 'D.O.L.' is out now on 7". The album 'Harem Scarem' follows on March 9th, with a headline UK tour hot on its heels.

January (with Seasick Steve)
23 Manchester Apollo
25 Newcastle City Hall
27 Leeds Academy
29 Wolverhampton Civic Hall
31 London Hammersmith Apollo

February (with Wire)
24 London Cargo

March
18 Brighton Freebutt
20 Manchester Ruby Lounge
21 Glasgow King Tut’s
22 Aberdeen The Tunnels
24 Newcastle Head of Steam
25 Birmingham Hare & Hound
26 London The Borderline

Marmaduke Duke

Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neill and Sucipierro's JP Reid have announced a tour in support of their 'Kid Gloves' single (due March). Hear them here:

February
28 Edinburgh Bongo Club

March
1 Manchester Deaf Institute
2 Birmingham Rainbow
4 London Heaven
5 Leeds Brudenell Social Club
6 Glasgow School of Art

M83

Following on from the recent news about his addition to the ATP Vs. The Fans bill, Anthony Gonzalaz is to play a show with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at LA's Walt Disney Concert Hall on March 7th. Expect M83 material (with and without accompaniment) and some orchestral pieces too. Can someone fly us out there, please?

Silver Jews

Mainman David Berman has announced his intention to quit music with immediate effect. As a result, Silver Jews will play their last concert on January 31st in McMinnville, Tennessee. Posted Berman on the band's forum:

"I guess I am moving over to another category. Screenwriting or muckraking. I've got to move on. Can't be like all the careerists doncha know. I'm forty two and I know what to do. I'm a writer, see? I always said we would stop before we got bad. If I continue to record I might accidentally write the answer song to 'Shiny Happy People'."

Elsewhere in the post, Berman spoke of his hatred for his father Richard, a Washington lawyer (and "motherfucking son of a bitch") notorious in the US for his campaigns against various trade unions, and groups promoting issues such as animal rights and anti-drink driving.

Sonic Youth

Want to see them at this year's Glastonbury? Well, you might be in luck as Thurston has been waxing lyrical to BBC 6 Music about his desire to play for Eavis and co.:

"I wanna play Glastonbury because it's such a disaster camp and I really enjoy that. The general consensus amongst musicians I know is that it's like walking into the pit of hell, and in some way it really feels like that. The only times I've ever been there it's been so incredibly messed up."

Sonic Youth's new record, The Eternal is due to arrive in June via Matador. Follow updates from the band (they're currently mixing the album and revealing little tidbits about it) via their Twitter, which is @thesonicyouth.

The Strokes

Those 6 Music newshounds are pretty intrepid at the moment, aren't they? They've also got a scoop on the new Strokes record, writing for which is apparently underway. They collared drummer Fab Moretti following a gig by his side-project Little Joy, and he told them that frontman Julian Casablancas and guitarist Nick Valensi have already started the ball rolling.

"Julian has started writing and Nick has got some material as wel. We're the kind of band that it's not finished until everyone's in one room and everyone's got their parts perfectly. We're a very mechanical band."

They're due to be in the same room sometime next month, when writing will begin in earnest. Excited? After First Impressions Of Earth, we're not, particularly. But here's a video from better days.

Patrick Wolf

If you want to hear tracks from Le Wolf's fan-funded new album Battle ahead of its release, you'll be interested to hear he's just announced a handful of March dates. And until next Wednesday (February 4th), if you've invested via BandStocks.com you'll have priority in purchasing tickets. Go go go...

March
8 Colchester Arts Centre
9 Gloucester Guildhall
10 Cambridge Junction
12 London Heaven