Sweet rage, I greet thee…

So we find ourselves at the end of 2009, housebound and mixing a record of possibly epic proportions, although not as wilfully epic as the last one.

It might, might just make you dance. If you’re a fairly imaginative dancer.

Anyway, a little of this impending frost is no doubt rubbing off, but when we get round to releasing it, it’ll be joyous spring. Good time to tour, spring. Less flu.

So we called our agent, and through a haze of cigar smoke she made a few calls and put a few dates together.
We said ‘Listen, we used to spend a lot less time making records and a lot more time touring them. Can we have a proper tour like when we were young please’.
And she said ‘Listen, schmucks, you mean you wanna drive round South West England in a transit van eating at service stations?’
And we said, ‘No, it just needs to be long and in lots of places’.
And she said, ‘Like 12 dates with a day off every five days to see your folks, momma’s boys?’
And we said ‘No, LONG.’

Well art is long. But life is short. So here’s 35 nights in Europe. With more to come.
Saddle up the chickens, we’re moving out:
5th April: Netherlands, Nijmegen, Doornroosje*
6th April: Denmark, Copenhagen, Beta
7th April: Germany, Hamburg, Hafenklang*
8th April: Germany, Berlin, Lido*
9th April: Germany, Dortmund, FZW*
10th April: Netherlands, Amsterdam, Paradiso*
11th April: Belgium, Brussels, Domino Festival
12th April: France, Amiens, Lune des Pirates *
13th April: Germany, Köln, Luxor*
14th April: Germany, München, Ampere*
15th April: Switzerland, Zurich, Abart*
16th April: Austria, Innsbruck, PMK*
17th April: Luxembourg, Out of the Crowd Festival*
19th April: Italy, Milan, Magnolia
20th April: Italy, Rome, Init
21th April: Italy, Bologna, Lokomotiv
22nd April: Italy, Turin, Spazio 211
23rd April: France, Montpellier, Rockstore
24th April: Spain, Barcelona, Sala Pasternak
25th April: Spain, Bilbao, Sala Black
27th April: Belgium, Liege, Manege Fonck
28th April: France, Strasburg, La Laiterie
29th April: France, Reims, La Cartonnerie
30th April: France, Paris, Elysee Montmartre
2nd May: England, Carlisle, Brickyard
3nd May: Scotland, Glasgow, Oran Mor
4th May: England, Newcastle, Academy 2
5th May: England, Birmingham, Academy 2
6th May: England, Sheffield, Octagon
7th May: England, Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
8th May: England, Bristol, Trinity
9th May: England, Cambridge, Junction 1
10th May: England, Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms
11th May: England, Plymouth, White Rabbit
12th May: England, London, Koko

*With KONG – www.myspace.com/kongdom

Here are a few irreverent notes while you chew over that mammoth:

1. The tour starts in Nijmegen, at the Doornroosje, which means ‘sleeping beauty’. We once iced a cake in the shower there, and that’s the truth, not an innuendo.

2. Copenhagen is ACE.

3. Sometimes at the Paradiso in Amsterdam, they let you play in the afternoon, giving you ample time to try and take a girl out for dinner.

4. We’re playing the Domino festival in Brussels, which is AN HONOUR. We played there once supporting Liars and Mogwai, but now we’re headlining. Look how far we’ve come.

5. As countries go, Germany is made for touring. They have great beer, and sometimes the police who go through your stuff are also musicians.

6. We played the Magnolia in Milan this year, and we saw a hedgehog and some rabbits.

7. We’ve never played our own shows in Spain. The venue in Barcelona is named after either Boris, Joseph, Leon or Leonid Pasternak. Most likely Boris, who wrote Doctor Zhivago.  Koko in London is named after…what? A clown? Someone’s favourite cat that died? An obscure brand of chocolate?

8. We’re not playing the venue in Paris with the utterly beautiful stage manager. This is a DIFFERENT VENUE.

9. We’re playing one of our hometowns – Sheffield, where we also live and help to make steel out of dreams. None of us has a pet kestrel. We’re playing the Octagon centre. In an interview in 2003 or 2004 (which is a very long time ago) Joe said that his main ambition was to play the Octagon. How naïve. But, that said, it basically means we can quit now.

10. There are a couple of days off on this tour, if you look carefully, but by that point, it’s not really going to matter much is it? And we’ll probably fill them in. And maybe we’ll add some more on the end. Who knows?

So. We’re going to announce some stuff about the album, like when it’s out and what’s on it, and what it looks like and what it’s called and why it exists when we know a bit more about it ourselves. (!)

But that’s it, we’ll be back to doing what we do best (being peripatetic). News to follow about the other delicious bands who will be appearing alongside us, the price of the tickets and the places you can get them.

For the mean time, tell your friends about it, get your opinion out on a messageboard (everyone else does) or just do a tweet. Tweet.

Tour is just a four letter word.

65x

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