Britpop survivor Mark Morriss has announced a pair of North East gigs as part of his forthcoming solo tour. The Bluetones frontman plays The Cluny on July 28 followed by The Trojan Rooms in Whitley Bay on July 29. Here are all his dates:

July 22 The Ironworks, Oswestry
July 23 Central Bar, Corby
July 24 Horseshoe Inn, Shrewsbury
July 28 The Cluny, Newcastle
July 29 The Trojan Rooms, Whitley Bay
July 30 The Black Bull,Bolsover
August 6 Soul Cellar, Southampton
August 22 M-Fest, Barnsley

Sensational Sunderland turn Frankie & The Heartstrings are letting fans get their hands on the digital version of their debut single “Fragile” for free from their website. What’s more, once you’ve signed up for the download you’ll also be able to grab versions of live favourite “Possibilities” and a blinding cover of Brian Eno‘s “Needle In The Camel’s Eye.” Can’t say fairer than that.

The band play Wichita Recordings‘ tenth birthday bash at London’s Garage this week followed by appearances at Latitude, Leeds and Reading festivals.

Here are all their dates:

July
15 – Wichiten @ The Garage, London (w/ Johnny Foreigner and Los Campesinos!)
17 – Latitude, Southwold
23 – Joiners, Southampton

August
14 – Summer Sundae, Leicester
19 – Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh
27 – Reading Festival, Reading
29 – Leeds Festival, Leeds

** TOUR WITH SUMMER CAMP **
September
30- – Jam, Brighton

October
01 – Lexington, London
02 – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
04 – Clwb Iforbach, Cardiff
05 – Deaf Institute, Manchester
06 – Cluny, Newcastle
09 – Stereo, Glasgow
10 – Stealth, Nottingham

High Rise Diaries play The Cluny on July 23 alongside Hey Bulldog, Air To Achilles and Night Of Sevens. Tickets are a bargain three quid to see four of the region’s finest bands. Grab them from any the usual outlets.

With more than a thousand plays between them on their MySpace page, the tracks from Chased By Wolves‘ brand new EP have already won the band a heap of new fans with an ear for heart-wrenching alt-folk.

They’re playing The Stockton Fringe Festival on July 31 alongside British Sea Power, Calvin Harris and others plus a load of other gigs around the region. Here are all the details.

July

24 Secret Suprise Show, Newcastle
31 The Stockton Fringe Festival, Stockton

August

8 NSE Weekender, The Cluny
9 Hartlepool Tall  Ships Festival, Hartlepool
14 The Castle Keep Festival, Whitby
27 Middlesbrough Town Hall

Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip have announced details of a UK tour that includes a gig at Newcastle University SU on October 21. The duo released their sophomore album The Logic Of Chance earlier this year. Here are all their dates:

Hatfield The Forum (October 14)
Leicester Academy (15)
Birmingham Institute (16)
Bristol Academy (17)
Cardiff Solus (19)
Leeds Stylus (20)
Newcastle University (21)
Glasgow QMU (23)
Aberdeen The Warehouse (24)
Manchester The Ritz (26)
Sheffield The Plug (27)
Nottingham Ultra (28)
Southampton University (30)
Brighton Concorde 2 (31)
London Shepherds Bush Empire (November 1)

I Am Kloot have announced details of a full UK tour that includes a gig at The Cluny in Newcastle on October 1. The Manchester-based outfit are hitting the road to support their recently released Sky At Night album. Here are all the dates:

Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms (September 26)
Brighton Komedia (27)
Bristol Thekla (28)
London Union Chapel (29)
Newcastle The Cluny (October 1)
Glasgow ABC2 (2)
Liverpool Academy 2 (3)
Nottingham Rescue Rooms (5)
Sheffield Leadmill (6)

Here’s what The BBC had to say about the new record:

“So it’s business as usual, but even at this 10-years-plus juncture, Kloot still scale the heights, especially the ballads. “The Moon Is a Blind Eye” is as pale and silvery as moonlight, “I Still Do” is equally bare and heart-wrenching, and “To the Brink” (the aforementioned boozer, where, “there’s no rule of thumb, so on the counter I strum with my fingers / and I adore the surprise of tomorrow’s sunrise, so I linger”) has thin, weaving strings that lend a wistful 1940s charm – you can almost taste the cig smoke and amber ale.”

The Divine Comedy‘s autumn tour kicks off at The Sage in Gateshead on November 1. The band are taking to the road to support the release of their tenth album Bang Goes The Knighthood which landed back in May. Here are all the dates:

Gateshead Sage 2 (November 1)
Aberdeen Lemon Tree (2)
Glasgow Oran Mor (3)
Reading Concert Hall (5)
Bristol Ansom Rooms (6)
Cardiff The Gate (8)
Manchester Academy 2 (9)
London Royal Festival Hall (10)
Sheffield Leadmill (11)
Cambridge West Concert Hall (12)
Brighton Komedia (14)
Bournemouth Academy (15)
Oxford Academy (16)
Warwick Arts Centre (17)

They’ve been absent from the world for a while thanks to a combination of collective tragedy, borderline depression, boredom and the pursuit of delinquency but, finally,  Newcastle’s Little Comets are back with a full UK tour that includes a gig at The O2 Academy in Newcastle on October 3. Here are all the dates:

01.10 Liverpool Academy 2
02.10 Manchester Factory
03.10 Newcastle Northumbria University
04.10 Leeds Cockpit
05.10 York Fibbers
07.10 Nottingham Bodega
08.10 Cambridge Haymakers
09.10 Stoke Sugarmill
10.10 Cardiff Arts Institute
13.10 Hull Lamp

The band are also playing some support slots for Darwin Deez. Here they are:

12.10 Manchester Academy 3
14.10 Glasgow King Tuts
23.10 Oxford Jericho Tavern
24.10 Norwich Arts Centre
26.10 London Scala
27.10 Birmingham Hare and Hounds
28.10 Coventry Kasbah

Expect some news of the band’s forthcoming single next week.

Explosive live performers Philadelphia Grand Jury have revealed plans for an extensive UK tour that kicks off in Coventry on August 16 before landing at The O2 Academy 2 in Newcastle on September 12. Described by Drowned In Sound as a band that “play like they’re having the time of their lives,” they’re a real must-see. Here are all the dates:

August 2010
Mon 16 Coventry, Kasbah
Wed 18 Sheffield, The Forum
Thurs 19 Glasgow, King Tuts
Fri 20 Dundee, Duke’s Corner
Sat 21 Stornoway, Jager Room
Sun 22 Inverness, Hootananny
Mon 23 York, Stereo
Wed 25 Nottingham, Red Room
Thurs 26 Bath, Moles
Fri 27 Truro, Wig & Pen
Sat 28 Birmingham, The Flapper

September 2010
Thurs 02 Tunbridge Wells, The Forum
Fri 03 Exeter, Timepiece
Sat 04 Southampton, Unit
Wed 08 Brighton, Prince Albert
Thurs 09 Guilford, Boiler Room
Fri 10 London, Lexington
Sat 11 Vault, Derby
Sun 12 Newcastle, Academy 2
Mon 13 Stoke, Sugarmill
Mon 20 Bristol, Start The Bus
Tues 21 Leicester, Academy 3
Thurs 23 Sunderland, Plugged In
Fri 24 Liverpool, Academy 2
Sat 25 Oxford, Jericho Tavern
Wed 29 Bath, Moles
Thurs 30 Portsmouth, The Cellars

October 2010
Fri 01 Manchester, Night & Day
Sat 02 Middlesborough, Empire
Sun 03 Sheffield, Plug
Thurs 07 Leeds, Cockpit

The band release their new single “Going To The Casino (Tomorrow Night” / “The New Neil Young” on August 23 via Ben Lovett (Mumford & Sons) and Kevin Jones’s (Cherbourg) Communion label.

Sam Duckworth’s Get Cape Wear Cape Fly have announced details of a 22-date UK tour that includes a gig at The Cluny on September 27. Here are all the dates:

JULY
10 – Leeds Garforth Arts Festival
18 – Cockermouth Festival
25 – Hitchin, Rhythms of the World Festival
30 – Matlock, Y not Festival

AUGUST
10 – Manchester, Deaf Institute (18+)*
11 – London, The Borderline*
12 – Nottingham Rock City Basement (14+)*
13 – Edinburgh Electric Circus (14+)*

SEPTEMBER
11 – Ivybridge, Ivy Live Festival
16 – Kingston The Hippodrome – New Slang (18+)
17 – Southend, Chinnerys (14+) £12
18 – Cambridge, St Pauls Church (14+) £12
19 – Oxford, Academy 2 (14+) £13.50
21 – Leicester, University (14+) £12
22 – Liverpool, Academy 2 (14+) £12
23 – Carlisle, The Brickyard (14+) £10
25 – Glasgow, Garage £12.50
26 – Aberdeen, Warehouse £10
27 – Newcastle, Cluny (14+) £12
29 – Leeds, Cockpit (14+) £12
30 – Manchester, Academy 3 (14+) £13.50

OCTOBER
01 – York, Fibbers (14+) £12
02 – Milton Keynes, The Pitz ‘Equality Rocks’
03 – Birmingham, Rainbow Warehouse (14+) £12
05 – Bristol, Thekla (14+) £12
06 – Yeovil, Orange Box £10
08 – Falmouth, Pavillion (14+) £9.50
09 – Barnstaple, The Factory (14+) £12
10 – Cardiff, Ifor Bach (14+) £12
12 – Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms (14+) £12
13 – London, Electric Ballroom (16+ / 14+ with adult) £14

New single “Collapsing Cities” is released on August 9.