Just a quick one tonight, as I’m plain and simply cream crackered at the moment - working 30-40 hours a week and then going to a gig or so a week and the usual pub evenings is pretty hard work… (boy, it’s a hard life, no?)

Bloc Party did another one of their suprises last night, announcing the release of Talons, their second single, and one that wasn’t on Intimacy, but will be on the physical release in October. In short, it’s pretty darned amazing, as with all of their Intimacy era stuff. A bit 80’s rock, a bit dark and murky, but ultimately good. I’m not posting the MP3 as I think it’s just asking for me to get (another) cease and desist, but I’m sure those of you in the know can get a copy for free.

Of course tonight is also the Mercury music prize, with my money firmly on Laura Marling to win, though I doubt the judges will choose her, probably sticking to a safer bet like Radiohead, Elbow or Last Shadow Puppets. If Adele or Estelle wins I won’t be a happy bunny though - they’re good, but not Mercury material.

There are still some reviews of Hydro Connect coming in, almost 10 days after the event, and just make me yearn for Scotland again. Only about 50 weeks now until Hydro 2009, eh? Rock Sellout have put up a guest blog from the festival, along with a better (and more indepth) interview with Rab from Glasvegas than we did.

Meanwhile, Mike over at Chromewaves caught this weekend’s Virgin Festival in Toronto, with Bloc Party, Kooks, Fratellis and more. I’ll be checking out some of the smaller (and larger) bands I haven’t heard of when I actually have a day off.

We only profiled her last week, but the amazing Laura Marling has announced her biggest headlining UK tour to date around our fair shores.

She’s dubbed it “The Night Terror Tour”, and will see her play a week of shows shortly after her return from wowing the USA.

Tickets are on sale now, priced at £12 for most dates, with the exception of London which, as ever, has more expensive tickets at £14 each.

Saturday 1st November - Glasgow Arts School
Sunday 2nd November - Leeds Brudenell
Tuesday 4th November - Nottingham Rescue Rooms
Wednesday 5th November - Portsmouth Wedgewood
Friday 7th November - Bristol Trinity Arts Centre
Saturday 8th November - Manchester Club Academy
Sunday 9th November - Birmingham Glee Club
Tuesday 11th November - London Scala

Just when you thought young British artists had sold out to instant fame, musical gimmicks and a kooky image, Laura Marling strolls along and restores your faith.

This 18-year-old is beyond her years. She has already been compared to Joni Mitchell and her lyrics posess a worldly wisdom that you certainly wouldn’t expect from a small town Reading lass.

You’ve gotta hand it to her, the girl’s got substance.

It all began around the family fire when her Dad taught her some blues on his old guitar. Marling was three.Through school, she played piano and drums and wrote songs in her dinner hour although admittedly, these were “absolutely awful.”

When new kid on the block Jamie T spotted Laura at her second ever gig and asked her to tour with him, it was safe to say that she had made it.

Typical Marling, she did something completely unheard of for the release of her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim (Produced by Noah & The Whale frontman Charlie Fink). Fed up with the way music had been reduced to MP3’s on bad headphones, she designed a beatifully crafted Song Box, complete with her album, postcards, trinkets and a ticket to one of her concerts. Genius.

“I want people to love music,” she says. “I want people to treasure it, not just my songs, but treasure music.”

Her album earned her a nomination for a 2008 Mercury Music Prize and rightly so. Her growing reputation also meant she bagged herself a slot opening shows for Naturalismo prince of folk rock, Devendra Banhart.

Forget Joan Baez. Forget Martha Wainwright. Her music is unlike anything you have heard before. ‘She’s Changed’ is a more telling look into the mind of a teenage girl than you’d get from an entire series of Jacqueline Wilson books. ‘My Manic and I’ is a haunting song which reflects the doubt and delusion at the heart of man.

Oh, and the vocals. Sweet but daring. Always complementing, never suffocating. She is leading the way for a new folk generation.

Laura Marling, alt folk darling.

Photos are taken from Rob Sinclair’s flickr stream and R.W.W.’s flickr stream, both under the Creative Commons License.

iTunes have announced 10 days of gigs starting next Thursday as part of their iTunes Live series. All the gigs will be available to download from iTunes after the 10 day festival is over. Last year’s festival was a bit later in the year, but were a significant success - dare I say it, but this years gigs aren’t anywhere near as impressive - I mean, come on, Nizlopi headlining? Tony Christie? Really?

The gigs will take place from February 21 to March 2 at AIR Studios, Lyndhurst Hall, London. The artists will play acousticcally for what is sure to be some very special evenings. Tickets cannot be bought, and are only available from the iTunes Live website as part of a ballot..

Thursday 21st February - Jose Gonzalez, Charlene Soraia, Julian Velard and Stephanie Dosen
Friday 22nd February - Nizlopi, Soweto Kinch
Saturday 23rd February - Alphabeat, Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong
Sunday 24th February - Billy Bragg, KT Tunstall, Foy Vance, Leo Abrahams
Monday 25th February - Daniel Merriweather, Estelle, Tawiah
Tuesday 26th February - Charlie Winston, Natalie Clein, Tom Baxter
Wednesday 27th February - Laura Marling, Mystery Jets
Thursday 28th February - Jason Mraz, Ron Sexsmith
Friday 29th February - TBC
Saturday 1st March - Roisin Murphy, Tony Christie
Sunday 2nd March - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Spiritualized

Photo of Roisin Murphy is taken from her myspace.