New Young Pony Club have announced a string of tour dates for March 2010 following the release of their second album, ‘The Optimist’, on March 1st.

Tickets for some dates are on sale now, others go on sale on Saturday (12th December 2010) at 9am. Catch the guys at:

Monday 15th March 2010 – Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms
Tuesday 16th March 2010 – Birmingham, Academy 2
Wednesday 17th March 2010 – Bristol, The Thekla
Thursday 18th March 2010 – Oxford, Academy 2
Saturday 20th March 2010 – Manchester, Moho Live
Sunday 21st March 2010 – Leeds, Cockpit 2
Monday 22nd March 2010 – Nottingham, Stealth
Tuesday 23rd March 2010 – Glasgow, King Tuts
Thursday 25th March 2010 – Newcastle, Academy 2
Friday 26th March 2010 – Liverpool, Korova
Saturday 27th March 2010 – Cambridge, Junction 2

Every year NME takes over London’s best gig venues to put on some of the best names in the world, live. The month of gigs, which takes place every February in the run up to the awards ceremony itself – to be held this year on February 24 at the O2 Academy Brixton. These are just the first names announced – normally the gigs fill the 28 days of February, often with multiple clashes around different venues.

Tickets for these shows go on sale at 9am tomorrow morning (27th February). We’ll add to this list as we hear of more gigs.

Tuesday 2nd February 2010 – Miike Snow at London Scala
Wednesday 3rd February 2010 – Hadouken! at London Scala
Saturday 20th February 2010 – Simian Mobile Disco at London matter (pictured top)
Monday 22nd February 2010 – New Young Pony Club at London Islington Academy
Tuesday 23rd February 2010 – Yeasayer at London Heaven
Tuesday 23rd February 2010 – Girls at London Scala

A few weeks back we introduced the concept of the Skindividual gig at the end of August. To join the (already great) headliner of Ladyhwake, they’ve announced that New Young Pony Club will also be playing, debuting some new material from their forthcoming second album. To join them, there will also be the opportunity for a young band (aged between 16 and 24) to get their own guestlist and blag a support slot also.

They’ve also extended the closing date until 31st July (next Friday people!) so you still have an opportunity to be at London’s Garage in Islington on Wednesday 26th August

A specially created new networking site, will allow you to grow a guestlist for the gig via your existing profiles on sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and Twitter – along with any other ways you can think of. Skindividual members can start a guestlist of your own or join one or more started by their friends.

The ten people with the largest guestlists on July 31st will be invited to submit a short film – taken on a mobile phone, camera or webcam – expressing why their guestlist should win the gig. These films will be judged by a high-profile panel, which includes Jamie Brittain, the 23 year old co-creator of Channel 4’s Skins; Callum Negus-Fancey, the 18 year old entrepreneur and brains behind teen club nights Let’s Go Crazy; and Sam Killcoyne, Founder of the Underage Festival. The one person chosen by the judges will get to take their entire guestlist along with them to the Garage in Islington on Wednesday 26th August.