Cambridge, Massachusetts electronic band Passion Pit have just released the video for their fourth single ‘Little Secrets’ off their debut album ‘Manners’. When I saw them live last June, this song was one of the highlights of their already epic set and had everyone dancing and singing along, so I’m glad to see they’ve brought a similar vibe to the video. At first it seems a bit eerie, with Michael Angelakos & Co. playing to a dark warehouse full of men with sad-faced paper bags over their heads. But as Passion Pit plays, they quickly “turn those frowns upside down” and a dance party ensues, complete with confetti and glitter. Check it out below and just try not to dance along!

Passion Pit are playing a string of sold out dates in the UK over the next two weeks. A limited number of tickets are still available for their show at Norwich UEA on Monday 8th March 2010, with support from Little Death and Ellie Goulding.

Lightspeed Champion (aka Dev Hynes) will tour the UK in May in support of his new album ‘Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You’ (released in the UK on 15 February). Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday 23 February at 9am from Gigs and Tours and all other reputable ticket sellers.

Catch Lightspeed Champion at:

Saturday 1st May 2010 – Leeds Live at Leeds at Stylus
Monday 3rd May 2010 – Nottingham Bodega
Wednesday 5th May 2010 – Glasgow King Tuts
Thursday 6th May 2010 – Manchester Deaf Institute
Friday 7th May 2010 – Newcastle Cluny
Sunday 9th May 2010 – Birmingham O2 Academy 3
Monday 10th May 2010 – London Heaven
Tuesday 11th May 2010 – Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms
Thursday 13th May 2010 – Norwich Arts Centre
Friday 14th May 2010 – Bristol Academy 2
Saturday 15th May 2010 – Cambridge Haymakers

Pop-tastic Danes Alphabeat have announced a string of 2010 UK tour dates for April in support of their new album (which Jess reviewed here).

Tickets are on sale now, priced at £12 each, except for London which is £14 a ticket.

Sunday 18th April 2010 – Norwich Waterfront
Monday 19th April 2010 – Leeds Stylus
Tuesday 20th April 2010 – Newcastle Northumbria Uni
Thursday 22nd April 2010 – Edinburgh Picturehouse
Friday 23rd April 2010 – Glasgow ABC
Saturday 24th April 2010 – Manchester Academy 2
Sunday 25th April 2010 – Oxford Academy
Tuesday 27th April 2010 – Brighton Concorde 2
Wednesday 28th April 2010 – London Koko (£14)
Thursday 29th April 2010 – Bristol Anson Rooms

Beth Jeans Houghton is the Newcastle teen who looks set to be one of this years big big things, crafting finely honed melody from the fantastic and the familiar, and Stornoway are the four piece whose quintessential pop is coloured in pastoral hues (and we introduced here). Together they’re making up this month’s Twisted Folk tour, starting next week for 10 days of an amazing tour.

Tickets are going very fast though….

Monday 8th February 2010 – Exeter Phoenix Arts Centre
Tuesday 9th February 2010 – Reading South Street
Wednesday 10th February 2010 – Brighton Komedia
Thursday 11th February 2010 – London Rich Mix
Saturday 13th February 2010 – Norwich Arts Centre
Sunday 14th February 2010 – Gateshead The Sage
Monday 15th February 2010 – Leeds Brudenell Social Club
Tuesday 16th February 2010 – Manchester Band On The Wall
Wednesday 17th February 2010 – Birmingham Glee Club

Continuing her meteoric rise to fame, Marina and the Diamonds have announced a 2010 UK tour playing some of her biggest venues yet.

Sunday 2nd May 2010 – Birmingham Glee Club
Thursday 13th May 2010 – Bournemouth Old Fire Station
Saturday 15th May 2010 – Brighton Concorde
Sunday 16th May 2010 – Cardiff Millenium Music Hall
Tuesday 18th May 2010 – Norwich Waterfront
Wednesday 19th May 2010 – London Bloomsbury Ballroom
Saturday 22nd May 2010 – Sheffield Leadmill
Sunday 23rd May 2010 – Manchester University
Tuesday 25th May 2010 – Liverpool Masque
Wednesday 26th May 2010 – Belfast Speakeasy
Thursday 27th May 2010 – Dublin Tripod
Saturday 29th May 2010 – Glasgow QMU
Sunday 30th May 2010 – Edinburgh Liquid Rooms
Monday 31st May 2010 – Leeds Cockpit

Zebrahead and MC Lars have announced a pretty gruelling UK tour for mid to end of March this year.

Tickets are on sale now.

Tuesday 16th March 2010 – Southampton Talking Heads
Wednesday 17th March 2010 – London Islington Academy
Thursday 18th March 2010 – Yeovil Orange Box
Friday 19th March 2010 – Peterborough Club Revolution
Saturday 20th March 2010 – Poole Shudder Festival @ Chords
Sunday 21st March 2010 – Swindon Furnace
Monday 22nd March 2010 – Pontypridd Muni Arts Centre
Tuesday 23rd March 2010 – Birmingham Academy 2
Wednesday 24th March 2010 – Norwich Waterfront
Thursday 25th March 2010 – Northampton Road Mender
Friday 26th March 2010 – Manchester Academy 3
Saturday 27th March 2010 – Newcastle Academy 2
Sunday 28th March 2010 – Nottingham Rock City
Monday 29th March 2010 – Glasgow Cathouse
Tuesday 30th March 2010 – Leeds Cockpit

Northern Irish alternative band Ash are set to begin another tour of the UK in April. Last autumn they played a 26-date UK tour to go along with their ‘A-Z’ themed set of 26 singles.

Tickets are available for some shows already, but tickets to most of these dates go on sale at 9 AM today.

Monday 19th April 2010 – Southampton University
Tuesday 20th April 2010 – Cambridge Junction
Wednesday 21st April 2010 - Norwich Waterfront
Friday 23rd April 2010 – Birmingham Irish Centre
Saturday 24th April 2010 – Leeds Metropolitan
Sunday 25th April 2010 – Newcastle O2 Academy
Tuesday 27th April 2010 – Glasgow O2 ABC
Wednesday 28th April 2010 – Manchester Academy 2
Friday 30th April 2010 – Bristol O2 Academy
Saturday 1st May 2010 – Brighton Concorde
Sunday 2nd May 2010 – Oxford O2 Academy
Tuesday 4th May 2010 – London Electric Ballroom

In the meantime to whet your appetite, you can catch the futuristic video for their ‘H’ single, ‘Space Shot’, out in the UK on 18 January below.

Good Shoes have announced a string of tour dates in late April/early May. Tickets are on sale on Monday (11th January) at 9am. Catch them at:

Monday 19th April 2010 – Norwich, Arts centre (14+)
Tuesday 20th April 2010 – Southend, Chinnerys (14+)
Wednesday 21st April 2010 – London, Dingwalls (14+)
Thursday 22nd April 2010 – Brighton, Audio (16+)
Friday 23rd April 2010 – Gloucester, Guildhall (14+)
Saturday 24th April 2010 – Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms (14+)
Monday 26th April 2010 – Exeter, Cavern (16+)
Tuesday 27th April 2010 – Wolverhampton, Little Civic (14+)
Wednesday 28th April 2010 – Manchester, Deaf Institute (18+)
Thursday 29th April 2010 – Leeds, Silver hips at hifi club (18+)
Friday 30th April 2010 – Hull, Lamp (14+)
Saturday 1st May 2010 – Derby, The Royal (14+)

Fake Problems have announced a string of UK tour dates for April 2010.

Monday 12th April 2010 – Norwich – Water Rats
Tuesday 13th April 2010 – Bristol – Thekla
Wednesday 14th April 2010 – Birmingham – O2 Academy 3
Thursday 15th April 2010 – London – Barfly
Friday 16th April 2010 – Oxford – Bullingdon
Saturday 17th April 2010 – Manchester – Roadhouse
Sunday 18th April 2010 – Glasgow – O2 ABC 2
Monday 19th April 2010 – Newcastle – The Cluny
Tuesday 20th April 2010 – Nottingham – Rock City Basement
Wednesday 21st April 2010 – Leeds – The Cockpit
Thrusday 22nd April 2010 – Portsmouth – Wedgewood rooms

Everybody Was in the French Resistance…Now, comprised of Eddie Argos of Art Brut and Dyan Valdez of the Blood Arm, is set to hit the road in mid-February for six English dates.

The duo will be touring in support of their latest album, ‘Fixing the Charts’. It’s not an album in the traditional sense: as Eddie explained to me in an exclusive interview with me for TGTF last October, all the songs are in response to popular songs of yesterday. It’s definitely an intriguing premise. You can purchase the album now on Amazon.

For more information on the towns being visited and where you can get tickets, have a read of this entry at Eddie Argos’s entertaining blog.

Tuesday 9th February 2010 – London Dingwalls
Wednesday 10th February 2010 – Nottingham Bodega
Thursday 11th February 2010 – Norwich Art Centre
Saturday 13th February 2010 – Bristol Thekla
Sunday 14th February 2010 – Leeds Brudenell Social Club
Monday 15th February 2010 – Manchester Ruby Lounge