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Manchester's Courteeners both look and sound as though they've come straight out of another time and place, and yet, somehow, are bang up to date. Think Babyshambles meets The Smiths and you'll be somewhere close to their gritty, electrifying sound. 'NME strongly advises that you do put your life in the hands of this rock 'n' roll band'.
Courteeners tour dates

Jay Z

Laid-back hip-hop grooves from the East Coast rapper aka Shawn Corey Carter who made the anthemic 'Hard Knock Life'. One of the most prolific and successful American rappers of the late 1990s and early 2000s, maintaining both commercial appeal and street credibility.
Jay Z tour dates

Paul McCartney

Former Beatle and one of the world's greatest pop composers. His work with John Lennon will live on for ever, but he also achieved chart success with Wings, and his solo hit 'Mull Of Kintyre' is one of the biggest selling singles of all time.
Paul McCartney tour dates

Florence and The Machine

Florence and The Machine is a one-woman force of bluesy rock with her roots in the same ground as Scout Niblett and PJ Harvey. The music of Florence Welch, sounds rough and ragged, likened to American pre-war folk and blues. Florence's award-winning debut album, 'Lungs', was one of the best selling albums of 2009 and 2010, staying in the UK Top 40 for sixty-five consecutive weeks. The second album, Ceremonials became their second successive No. 1 after debuting at the top of the UK chart.
Florence and The Machine tour dates

The Strokes

Hard to believe that it's over a decade since the formation of New York rockers The Strokes, - but not long after was their success set in stone upon the release of Is This It in 2001, their debut album which made shockwaves in the UK, with the NME naming it Album Of The Year. In the years that followed, The Strokes have maintained their position as one of the best loved bands of the 00s through protracted touring, festival dates and a further two studio albums including UK #1 First Impressions Of Earth. Following a sabbatical beginning in 2007, they returned to writing their fourth studio album in 2009, and confirmed a performance at the Isle of Wight Festival - their first gig as a band since 2006.
The Strokes tour dates

Blondie

Blondie formed in 1974 and had a string of hits through the 70s and 80s as the instigators of the New York side of the new wave punk scene. Debbie Harry went on to pursue a successful solo career, with the hit 'I Want That Man' in 1989, and the band reformed in 1999, having No. 1 single success with 'Maria'.
Blondie tour dates

Biffy Clyro

Quite possibly one of the most exciting bands in Britain, Scots trio Simon Neil (guitar/vocals), Ben Johnston (drums/vocals) and James Johnston (bass/vocals) combine moments of extreme aggression with achingly tender guitar pickings and passionately lovelorn lyricism.
Biffy Clyro tour dates

PiNK

P!NK is a rare commodity in the music business; a pop singer who has credibility within the rock world and a rock singer who's achieved the status of a pop star. With worldwide hits such as Get The Party Started, Just Like A Pill and Stupid Girls under her belt, Pink is one of the world's most successful female stars to date.
PiNK tour dates

Editors

This Birmingham-based quartet have enjoyed a rapid rise to success since they met at college in Staffordshire in 2003. Influenced by iconic bands such as Joy Division and Echo and the Bunnymen, their 2005 debut album reached no. 2 in the UK, thanks in part to an unrelenting tour schedule. The continued increase in the popularity of their live shows in 2006, along with a top ten single show that the band have the potential to become one of the 'big names' of the decade.
Editors tour dates

Calvin Harris

Deep electro disco from Scottish one-man studio Calvin Harris. With support slots for Faithless and production deals for Kylie under his belt, Calvin Harris is this year's 'one to watch'.
Calvin Harris tour dates

Doves

One of the UK's best indie rock bands (and former members of 'Sub Sub) whose first two albums have allowed the band to dispense with comparisons and forge their own sound. Mellow guitar-driven indie with irresistable chord arrangements, which sometimes give way to playful dance undercurrents, their Glasto 2002 and 2003 sets have been festival highlights for any lucky enough to hear them.
Doves tour dates

Vampire Weekend

New York band Vampire Weekend rather oddly, but rather delightfully, combine African rhythms and Peter Gabriel-esque vocals with an urban, punkish tone. They describe themselves as specialists in the styles of 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa, Upper West Side Soweto, Campus, and Oxford Comma Riddim.' As they themselves suggest, they have to be heard to be believed.
Vampire Weekend tour dates

Spandau Ballet

Fronted by the besuited Tony Hadley, Spandau Ballet were at the forefront of the New Romantic scene of the early 1980s. They found international fame with their smash hit singles True and Gold, and enjoyed a successful pop career throughout most of the decade. After the band split, Gary and Martin Kemp turned their hands to film and TV acting (Martin was best known for his role in Eastenders) and Tony Hadley continued to perform as a solo artist. Now, twenty years on, the band have finally reunited for a national tour.
Spandau Ballet tour dates

Paloma Faith

London-based alt-soul songstress with a heart-melting vocal presence and a Billie Holiday influence. The Hackney-born singer draws on diverse influences from her colourful past, including working as a magicians assistant, actress, burlesque performer and trained contemporary dancer, and uses unconventional theatricals and props to make her stage shows original, engaging and magical.
Paloma Faith tour dates

The Hold Steady

Brooklyn based five-piece making blues-laden geek-rock for the 21st century. Although The Hold Steady's sound will probably appeal to fans of older bands such as Eels, Ben Folds and The Lemonheads, their sound is bang-up-to-date, illustrated by the success of their 2008 single 'Sequestered In Memphis'.
The Hold Steady tour dates

Friendly Fires

Friendly Fires lie somewhere between the poppiness of Snap!, the funkiness of Prince, and the electronic dance-iness of Daft Punk. Friendly Fires were the first unsigned band ever to play Transmission on Channel 4, shown on 9th November 2007. Their self-titled debut album was nominated for the 2009 Mercury Awards and the band have since gone from strength to strength, nominated for two Brit Awards in 2010, and releasing their Top 10 album, 'Pala', in 2011.
Friendly Fires tour dates

Mr Hudson

It takes someone with foresight and imagination to pull-off the cross-pollination of hip hop and r&b beats with classic song writing, but in doing so Mr Hudson has hit upon a winning formula. A self-confessed outsider, this mixing of styles comes easy to an artist who has become the undefeated Jump Off Producer Champion of 2005. Championed by the likes of Sway and 1Xtra DJ Semtex, who were surprised to find themselves firm fans of the trilby-doffing newcomer, Mr Hudson's hybrid sound is attracting interest from all corners of the music industry.
Mr Hudson tour dates

Hockey

Purveyors of disco/ funk and full-throttle live shows, this Portland, Oregon band are set to shake up the UK music scene this year in a big way.
Hockey tour dates

Crowded House

New Zealand's biggest export, Crowded House shot to fame in 1986 with the release of debut single Don't Dream It's Over. They subsequently went on to have phenomenal success with singles such as Fall At Your Feet, Weather With You and Four Seasons In One Day. Their 1996 singles-compilation album, Recurring Dream reached Number One around the world and became an instant modern classic.
Crowded House tour dates

The Coronas

A Dublin based four-piece whose third studio album, "Closer To You", debuted at number three in the Irish charts. The band sold out a record five night stand in Dublin's historic Olympia Theatre in December 2011, and are currently working towards a sell out headline show in Dublin's O2 Arena, which is scheduled for November.
The Coronas tour dates