NME Awards Tour line up announced

Crystal Castles, Magnetic Man, Everything Everything, Vaccines for NME Awards Tour 2011

Tickets for February gigs go on sale Wednesday (Nov 10).
The four acts will hit the road on February 3 and tour the UK until February 19, when they play London's O2 Academy Brixton. The NME Awards 2011 will take place on February 23 at the same venue.

The NME Awards Tour 2011 calls at:

Glasgow O2 Academy (February 3)
Manchester Academy (4)
Newcastle O2 Academy (7)
Nottingham Rock City (8)
Leeds O2 Academy (9)
Norwich UEA (11)
Birmingham O2 Academy (12)
Cardiff University Great Hall (13)
Bristol O2 Academy (15)
Bournemouth O2 Academy (16)
Brighton Dome (17)
London O2 Academy Brixton (19)

Tickets go on sale from NME.COM at 9am (GMT) on Wednesday. To check the availability of NME Awards Tour 2011 tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/TICKETS now, or call 0871 230 1094.

Joy Division to realise new vinyl box set '+-'

A new Joy Division box set of seven-inch vinyl discs is set to be released next month. The set, named '+-', will feature ten discs, some of which have been released previously and some that have been created for this release. The tracks have been remastered by Stephen Morris and Metropolis Studios' Frank Arkwright, while the box features new artwork from the band's long-time visual collaborator Peter Saville.

'+-', out on December 6, is limited to 5000 copies, with numbers one to 500 coming individually numbered and featuring a piece of art by Saville. There will also be a digital release via iTunes, while anyone buying the physical edition will be able to download MP3s of the tracks free.

See Rhino.co.uk for release details.

Video of the Week - Kap Bambino - 'Dead Lazers'

Previously featured on Insight Music, I thought seeing as Crystal Castles are currently touring, any fans of them should be reminded to check these guys out. Another awesome duo!
Myspace:http://www.myspace.com/kapbambino

Crystal Castles - Leeds Met, October 2010

Unluckily I'll be unable to write a full review on this gig, as after 5-6 tracks I was dragged out and soon after taken to hospital in an ambulance. I was lucky enough to have Alice Glass herself come out to make sure I was okay, even if the first aid people ignored her. I was offered VIP tickets and a drink from her for the next gig, so hopefully then I'll get the chance to write a little more.

Health was the support act, and the original 'Crimewave' Crystal Castles track was by them, although Crystal Castles gave it their own touch. There was an hour wait until the band came on stage and the crowd exploded. Every expectation of their live performance was met, and more on top of that. Alice crawled onto the crowds heads and dangled above me as she sang. The claustrophobic atmosphere and all round roughness of the gig made it hard for anyone to come out without an injury, and unluckily for me I was the only one to be carted off in an ambulance. However, after meeting Alice through this it was completely worth it.

One of the main songs that stood out through my semi-consciousness was 'Baptism'. The crowd moved to the beat as the music seemed to pulse through everyone. Alice's live performance was unique, exciting and memorable, and Ethan held it all together by playing the music to accompany her. (Short video I took of 'Baptism' shown in this post).

I would recommend any Crystal Castles fan to go and see them, although it definitely isn't for the faint hearted.

Ones to Watch - R O M A N C E

R O M A N C E are a rock band based in London consisting of four members including one highly energetic lead singer. The band not only sound good but look good, and have great appeal all round.

After seeing them support I Blame Coco, I was pleasantly surprised by this band. Their live performance was exciting and engrossing and even though the majority of the people surrounding me didn't seem to know who they were, they were all saying how good they were once the band had left the stage (even if we were all a little deaf by that time).

They are supporting Manic Street Preachers on a couple of dates, then will be touring the country with The Cult and are definitely worth checking out. If you're attending any of the gigs make sure you get down early and give them the chance to impress you like they did the Coco crowd.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/isthisromance

(Seeing as this week has practically been Coco week) Video of the Week - Sub Focus ft. Coco - 'Splash'

In return for Sub Focus remixing an I Blame Coco track, Coco was asked to sing on the track 'Splash'. Even though Sub Focus are primarily a drum & bass act, if you aren't a fan of this genre but a fan of Coco you will still love this. Her haunting vocals give it that unique Coco edge that fans crave. In an interview she stated that she usually writes lyrics after writing the music for a song, yet found it difficult writing for someone else's track.

I Blame Coco - Urban Outfitters acoustic session and Leeds University gig, October 2010

After seeing and meeting the band last week I decided to go and see them again in Leeds. The free Urban Outfitters set had an okay turn out and the main gig itself was in a smaller venue than Sheffield, which I liked. I was lucky to catch up with Coco again after both sets as she recognised me in the crowd and came over to say hi (she is also one of the nicest artists you could ever meet). She spoke about her hangover from going out in Glasgow the night before and how she's going to New York to visit family after the final dates of her tour.

The Urban Outfitters set started a little shakey as the bassist had wandered off upstairs, leaving Coco (Eliot Sumner) shouting him and gaining an awkward silence while people waited for his return. She jokingly stated she's better at singing than speaking so after a couple of shakey attempts at talking to the crowd she decided to just run through the short set list. For a model, come actress, come singer, she was surprisingly more shy than anyone else in the room!

As it was only a short set they played their most popular songs and included their new single 'In Spirit Golden', which is released on the 1st of November (live recording featured in the video). Coco's voice, style and persona make up for her timidness in between performances, as when she sings all those possible insecurities seem to go away.

The main gig was just as good, if not better than the Sheffield set. A few of her old school friends were in the audience (which I think gave her a slight confidence boost) and I got the chance to stand and talk to Coco and the group after the gig had finished. We chatted about that fact a few of the songs on the album, such as 'The Constant' (which is the title of the album), weren't performed, and she said the band were not provided with enough funding and couldn't play the full track list, which was a shame. Nevertheless the group definitely didn't disappoint and a buzzing crowd stayed behind for the club night after.

Coco is tipped to be playing big venues next year as her popularity is quickly increasing. I would highly recommend seeing them if you have the chance.