Ben Esser (who we first introduced to you here) has announced a headlining tour for April around the UK.

The Essex lad will be bringing his electro-pop-ska beats to the best of the UK’s dingy toilet circuit venues throughout the end half of April.

Tickets are on sale for the below dates now, priced between £4 and £9 each.

Catch him at:

Thursday 16th April 2009 - Leeds Cockpit
Friday 17th April 2009 - Glasgow King Tuts
Saturday 18th April 2009 - Middlesbrough Empire
Sunday 19th April 2009 - York Duchess
Tuesday 21st April 2009 - Manchester Deaf Institute
Thursday 23rd April 2009 - Bristol Thekla
Friday 24th April 2009 - Southampton Joiners
Saturday 25th April 2009 - Exeter Cavern
Monday 27th April 2009 - Brighton Komedia Basement
Tuesday 28th April 2009 - Colchester Arts Centre
Wednesday 29th April 2009 - Norwich Arts Centre
Thursday 30th April 2009 - London ULU

To find tickets, we suggest you try using Needtickets. Needtickets.com offers you the most comprehensive ticket service in the UK. With one click you can search every nationwide online ticket agent and as a result you can find tickets for any live music event that can be booked online. Every ticket is 100% guaranteed as Needtickets.com only offers links to official agents.

Like your music a bit artier and rockier than most? Well, rejoice as …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead have announced a string of dates for April around the UK.

Their 10 day UK tour will see the Austin, TX lads bring their rather unique sounds up and down the UK.

Tickets are on sale now, priced around £10 for all dates except London which is £12.50 a ticket. Catch them at:

Tuesday 14th April 2009 - Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms
Wednesday 15th April 2009 - Nottingham Rescue Rooms
Thursday 16th April 2009 - Manchester Academy 3
Friday 17th April 2009 - Glasgow Oran Mor
Sunday 19th April 2009 - Newcastle Academy
Monday 20th April 2009 - Birmingham Academy
Wednesday 22nd April 2009 - Bristol Thekla
Thursday 23rd April 2009 - London Electric Ballroom
Friday 24th April 2009 - Oxford Academy

To find tickets, we suggest you try using Needtickets. Needtickets.com offers you the most comprehensive ticket service in the UK. With one click you can search every nationwide online ticket agent and as a result you can find tickets for any live music event that can be booked online. Every ticket is 100% guaranteed as Needtickets.com only offers links to official agents.

The pretty darned amazing Joshua Radin has announced a string of UK and Ireland tour dates for mid-March.

He may just be a singer-songwriter, but his tunes appear on many great films and on Scrubs on TV. Yes, I have a small thing for Scrubs. So shoot me.

Tickets repprtedly go on sale on Friday (9th January) at 9am for all dates.

Catch Joshua at:

Sunday 15th March 2009 - Dublin Sugar Club
Tuesday 17th March 2009 - Liverpool O2 Academy 2
Wednesday 18th March 2009 - Birmingham O2 Academy 3
Thursday 19th March 2009 - London Bush Hall
Friday 20th March 2009 - Glasgow King Tuts

Top photo comes from Tyler Shields.

To find tickets, we suggest you try using Needtickets. Needtickets.com offers you the most comprehensive ticket service in the UK. With one click you can search every nationwide online ticket agent and as a result you can find tickets for any live music event that can be booked online. Every ticket is 100% guaranteed as Needtickets.com only offers links to official agents.

New Yorkers The Walkmen have announced a string of three UK tour shows for mid February.

The US five some are releasing a new single in the shape of the aptly named ‘In The New Year’ on seven-inch and as a download on February 23rd, and will play three dates in support of it, along with some other European shows around the time.

Tickets are on sale now, priced at £11.50 for Birmingham, £12 for Brighton and £15 for London.

Wednesday 18th February 2009 - Birmingham Barfly (See Tickets)
Thursday 19th February 2009 - Brighton Concorde 2 (See Tickets)
Friday 20th February 2009 - London Scala (Fierce Panda’s fifteenth birthday party) (See Tickets)

Like your music a bit louder than most? Well, rejoice as the 2009 Kerrang magazine tour kicks off next Friday around the UK featuring 12 dates with five bands. Mindless Self Indulgence (pictured top), Bring Me The Horizon, Dir En Grey, Black Tide and (my personal favourites) In Case Of Fire (pictured right) all play the tour, with tickets on sale now (and going very quickly at the moment).

Catch the bands at the below dates:

Friday 16th January 2009 - Bristol O2 Academy
Saturday 17th January 2009 - Cardiff University
Sunday 18th January 2009 - Southampton Guildhall
Tuesday 20th January 2009 - Oxford O2 Academy
Wednesday 21st January 2009 - Norwich UEA
Thursday 22nd January 2009 - Nottingham Rock City
Friday 23rd January 2009 - Manchester University
Saturday 24th January 2009 - Leeds O2 Academy
Monday 26th January 2009 - Liverpool O2 Academy
Wednesday 28th January 2009 - Newcastle O2 Academy
Thursday 29th January 2009 - Birmingham O2 Academy
Friday 30th January 2009 - London Brixton O2 Academy

Hotly tipped FrankMusik has announced a string of UK shows in some quite bizarre places. Not only does he play the legendary Joiners in Southampton (one of the loveliest venues I’ve been to in a while), he also plays two libraries, which sounds like fun.

Tickets are on sale now for some dates, and frankly I don’t have a clue when tickets are on sale for the other dates.

Catch the rising electro star at the below dates:

Friday 20th February 2009 - Bath Moles
Saturday 21st February 2009 - Lancaster Library (See Tickets)
Sunday 22nd February 2009 - Burnley Library (See Tickets)
Wednesday 25th February 2009 - Nottingham Bodega
Thursday 5th March 2009 - London Dingwalls
Friday 13th March 2009 - Winchester Railway
Saturday 14th March 2009 - Southampton Joiners

We first introduced you to Red Light Company last year (when we also caught them live), and now they’ve announced their first full tour of 2009, stopping off at some of the toilet circuit’s best venues.

Tickets are on sale now, priced between £6 and £9.50 each.

Catch the lads at:

Saturday 7th March 2009 -Liverpool Korova (Ticketweb)
Sunday 8th March 2009 - Hull Adelphi (Ticketweb)
Monday 9th March 2009 - Dundee Fat Sams
Tuesday 10th March 2009 - Glasgow Nice and Sleazy
Wednesday 11th March 2009 - Newcastle Cluny (Ticketweb)
Friday 13th March 2009 - Sheffield Leadmill (Ticketweb)
Saturday 14th March 2009 - York Fibbers (Ticketweb)
Sunday 15th March 2009 - Leeds Cockpit (See Tickets)
Monday 16th March 2009 - Nottingham Bodega (See Tickets)
Tuesday 17th March 2009 - Birmingham Academy 3 (Ticketweb, See Tickets)
Wednesday 18th March 2009 - Manchester Roadhouse (See Tickets)
Friday 20th March 2009 - Southampton Joiners (See Tickets, We Got Tickets)
Saturday 21st March 2009 - Cheltenham Frog and Fiddle (See Tickets)
Sunday 22nd March 2009 - Bristol Thekla (See Tickets)
Monday 23rd March 2009 - Cardiff Barfly (Ticketweb)
Tuesday 24th March 2009 - London Borderline (See Tickets)
Wednesday 25th March 2009 - Norwich Arts Centre (See Tickets, We Got Tickets)

Hotly tipped for 2009, Emmy the Great has announced details of a full UK tour for January, February and March.

The hugely talented singer / songwriter is embarking on the sizeable UK tour backed up by her band.

Tickets are on sale now for all dates with tickets priced between £7 and £9.50 each.

Catch Emmy at the below dates:

Saturday 31st January 2009 - Oxford Academy (WeGotTickets, Ticketweb)
Sunday 1st February 2009 - Exeter Phoenix (WeGotTickets, See Tickets)
Monday 2nd February 2009 - Brighton Komedia (Box Office)
Tuesday 3rd February 2009 - Cardiff Club Ifor Bach (Ticketweb)
Thusday 5th February 2009 - Gloucester Guildhall (See Tickets)
Friday 6th February 2009 - Bath Chapel Arts Centre (Info)
Saturday 7th February 2009 - Reading South Street (Info)
Monday 9th February 2009 - Norwich Arts Centre (Info)
Tuesday 10th February 2009 - Colchester Arts Centre (WeGotTickets)
Wednesday 11th February 2009 - Nottingham Bodega (See Tickets)
Thursday 12th February 2009 - Liverpool Academy 2 (Ticketweb, See Tickets)
Saturday 14th February 2009 - Glasgow King Tut’s (Ticketmaster)
Sunday 15th February 2009 - Aberdeen Moshulu (Ticketweb)
Monday 16th February 2009 - Edinburgh Cabaret Voltaire (Ticketweb)
Tuesday 17th February 2009 - Newcastle Cluny (Ticketweb)
Thursday 19th February 2009 - Sheffield Plug (Ticketweb)
Friday 20th February 2009 - Leeds Brudenell Social Club (See Tickets)
Saturday 21st February 2009 - Hull Adelphi (See Tickets)
Sunday 22nd February 2009 - Stoke Sugarmill (Ticketweb, See Tickets)
Tuesday 24th February 2009 - Manchester Ruby Lounge (WeGotTickets, See Tickets)
Wednesday 25th February 2009 - Birmingham Glee Club
Thursday 26th February 2009 - Bristol Fleece (See Tickets)
Friday 27th February 2009 - London ULU (Ticketweb, See Tickets)
Wednesday 4th March 2009 - Belfast Limelight (Ticketmaster)
Friday 6th March 2009 - Cork Cyprus Avenue (Ticketmaster)
Saturday 7th March 2009 - Dublin Crawdaddy (Ticketmaster)

I’d heard friends rave about the Dykeenies befor, but had never really listened to them before until today. With a bit of time on my hands, I checked them out this afternoon and was mightily impressed.

They’re a five-pronged sensory assault of sex, synths and glamour with hooks so monumental they could be used to mount the scalps of lesser peers onto their living room wall. Yes, really that good. Pop punk at it’s best, really catchy, feelgood and enjoyable.

Aaaand to top it all off they’re on tour in March around the UK - tickets are on sale for all dates now. Tickets are £7 for all English dates except London which is £9, and £9.50 for Scottish dates

Tuesday 10th March 2009 - Exeter Cavern (WeGotTickets)
Wednesday 11th March 2009 - Brighton Digital (See Tickets)
Thursday 12th March 2009 - Southampton Talking Heads (See Tickets, Ticketweb)
Friday 13th March 2009 - Portsmouth Cellar (WeGotTickets, See Tickets, Ticketweb)
Saturday 14th March 2009 - Coventry Kasbah (See Tickets)
Sunday 15th March 2009 - Manchester Moho Live (See Tickets)
Tuesday 17th March 2009 - London Underworld (See Tickets, Ticketweb)
Wednesday 18th March 2009 - Derby Rockhouse (See Tickets)
Thursday 19th March 2009 - Leeds Cockpit (See Tickets)
Friday 20th March 2009 - Glasgow QMU (Ticketmaster)
Saturday 21st March 2009 - Liverpool Academy 2 (See Tickets, Ticketweb)
Tuesday 24th March 2009 - Inverness Ironworks (Ticketweb)
Wednesday 25th March 2009 - Aberdeen Moshulu (Ticketweb)
Thursday 26th March 2009 - Dundee Fat Sams (Ticketmaster)
Friday 27th March 2009 - Edinburgh Liquid Rooms (Ticketmaster)
Saturday 28th March 2009 - Newcastle Academy 2 (See Tickets, Ticketweb)

We first introduced Ra Ra Riot to youback in August when we caught them at Water Rats in London and loved their US indie rock.

They’re no stranger to our shores, having played a three night stint in London in August, supported Vampire Weekend on their triumphant UK shows this winter and now are set to go on a quick jaunt in mid February to promote their amazing album, The Rhumb Line.

Tickets are on sale now for all dates, priced at £6.50 a ticket.

Catch the five piece at:

Wednesday 11th February 2009 - Birmingham Barfly (See Tickets, Ticketweb)
Thursday 12th February 2009 - Glasgow King Tuts (See Tickets)
Saturday 14th February 2009 - Newcastle Academy 2 (See Tickets, Ticketweb)
Sunday 15th February 2009 - Manchester Night & Day (See Tickets)
Monday 16th February 2009 - Nottingham Bodega (See Tickets)
Tuesday 17th February 2009 - London Borderline (See Tickets, Ticketweb)