Maps have announced a string of UK tour dates for October and November to co-incide with their new album, Turning the Mind which is out today.

Tickets are on sale now. Catch them at:

Saturday 17th October 2009 – Oxford Jericho Tavern
Thursday 22nd October 2009 – Edinburgh Electric Circus
Friday 23rd October 2009 – Manchester Eat Your Own Ears Warehouse Project
Saturday 24th October 2009 – Southampton Joiners
Sunday 25th October 2009 – Birmingham Hare & Hounds
Monday 26th October 2009 – London Cargo
Wednesday 28th October 2009 – Bristol Start The Bus
Thursday 29th October 2009 – Cambridge Portland
Friday 30th October 2009 – Brighton Digital
Saturday 31st October 2009 – Nottingham Bodega Social
Sunday 1st November 2009 – Norwich Arts Centre
Wednesday 4th November 2009 – Sheffield Fusion At The University
Thursday 5th November 2009 – Newcastle Other Rooms
Friday 6th November 2009 – Glasgow Nice & Sleazy’s

Watch the new Maps single, I dream of Crystal, below, or order your copy of their new album from Amazon or iTunes.

Maps by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs is one of my all time favourite songs. Think yearning love song mixed with the ever great Karen O going ever so slightly overboard with the emotion.

Then I found (linked from Lightspeed Champion’s Myspace bulletin last week) this amazing take on it by five amazing people who have done it completely acapella, and it sounds ace. Granted, they haven’t quite got Karen O’s quavering voice, but everything sounds ace, even better considering how sparse it is.

The Original:

http://www.vimeo.com/1670127

The cover:

This year’s Lodestar festival has been cancelled.

It seems that like so many festivals they have been plagued by weather problems, and thus has fallen behind with the organisation.

The three day event on the first weekend of September (August 31st – September 2nd) was set to include Badly Drawn Boy, Maps, Idlewild, Pigeon Detectives and The Rakes amongst others.

The word is that the first Lodestar festival may well be held next Summer.

Two new tours have been announced today, with Northampton bedroom maestro Maps on tour in July now that he’s recruited a fill band you can see him at:

Fri 6th July – Manchester Int. Festival
Sunday 8th July – London Sonic Cathedral
Thursday 12th July – Latitude Festival, Suffolk
Saturday 14th July – Coventry Godiva Festival
Sunday 15th July – Glasgow Indian Summer
Monday 16th July – Mermaid Theatre London
25th July – Northampton Church Of The Holy Sceptre
30th July – London Borderline

90’s Britpop kids Kula Shaker are back on the road in October, playing:
Sunday 30th September – Southampton Uni
Monday 1st October – Liverpool Carling Academy
Tuesday 2nd October – Sheffield Leadmill
Friday 5th October – Newcastle Northumbria University (Stage 2)
Saturday 6th October – Manchester University
Monday 8th October – Wolverhampton The Civic Hall (Wolfrun)
Tuesday 9th October – Cambridge The Junction
Wednesday 10th October – London Koko

Kula Shaker tickets are on sale from tomorrow (Tuesday 19th June), with Maps tickets already on sale / available for most dates.

Photo taken from Maps’ myspace page.

Mark Ronson is on tour in October as well, for what is shaping up to be an amazing month for live music. Tickets on sale on Tuesday at 9am. He plays:
Liverpool Carling Academy – Fri 12 October
Manchester University – Sat 13 October
Newcastle Carling Academy – Sun 14 October
Birmingham Carling Academy – Thu 18 October
Leeds University Union – Fri 19 October
London Shepherds Bush Empire – Thu 25 October
London Shepherds Bush Empire – Fri 26 October