Fat Friday 4th June 2010 - Roger Waters, Diversity, PiL, Manics, Interpol and many more

Well, have we got a line-up for you! With more cheeky moves, hip wiggles and the odd dummy, you'd be forgiven for thinking that we were going to assess the England squad. Pah! No chance - this is Fat Friday where our super-squad below have been selected for their skills, techniques and (as Alan Hansen might say) 'gret un duterminashun'. And not one of them with a World Cup anthem to sing.

All tickets on sale here at 9AM, unless otherwise specified - click on the images, below for ticket availability, or scroll down for the full event listing.

 

Roger Waters

The Pink Floyd classic, "The Wall", receives a timely new reading next year when a certain Mr Waters presents all two hours of it at the O2 Arena (11th, 12th and 17th May 2011), the MEN Arena (20th, 21st May) and now the Dublin O2 (23rd May). Remixed and given a new backdrop and animation sequences by Gerald Scarfe, this is truly going to be the gig of the new decade. 9am, tomorrow, poised by the phone - that's you, that is. Prices start at £67.25 (Ireland is €59.80) which might make you feel 'comfortably numb', but this IS going to be some concert (the sheer scale of it as well).

 

Diversity

Talking of phenomena, young fidgets Diversity are sweeping the nation with their infectious energy and all-round good gal-n-guy image and fair play to them. They have announced a decent-sized UK tour in December, as announced in our news-piece yesterday, eager to bring you the coolest moves from the world of modern street-dancing, just in time for Christmas (well, they say 'shop early'). A lot of their dates tend to sell out so if you are thinking of presents for the family, check them out. Onsale at Saturday 10am. [on-sale date now moved to Saturday 5th June- Ed]

 

Manic Street Preachers

James Dean Bradfield and co head out for a lengthy old traipse across the length and breadth of the UK in the autumn, supporting their upcoming new album "Postcards From A Young Man". You have to admire their passion for deciding on so many gigs with barely a chance to catch their collective breaths. Glasgow is the first stop on 29th Sep, Cambridge is the last on 1st Dec with no less than 20 other gigs in between, including two at Brixton's Academy (28th / 29th Oct). £26.50 plus a fee or two - bob's your uncle, Kevin Carter's your dad.

Public Image Ltd. [PiL]

John Lydon's beloved PiL continue their resurgence, certainly in a 'live' capacity, with a string of gigs in the UK during July. Concentrating on mid-range venues, they kick off in London at the Shepherd's Bush Empire on the 19th and continue to Bristol (20th), Oxford (21st), Leeds (23rd), Liverpool (24th) and finally Glasgow on the 26th. It will be the band's first visit to a few of those towns so don't hang about deciding whether to go - you just have to go. They were top-notch back in December (in Leeds and Brixton) and it's good to see them playing the excellent West London venue this time around. £27.50 is the asking price.

 

Interpol

Another revered band, this time from the States, is Interpol. Their blend of melancholy and embittered alt-rock, post-punk or whatever other label you can think of, has garnered endless press-praise and fan-fanaticism alike - "NYC (New York Kiss" is still a cracking song 10 years after its original release (give or take). Seven nights in December should convince you - try saying the following mantra to yourself, "I really must go and see Interpol", over and over. You'll need around £22.50 to make your dream come true.

 

The Charlatans

At first glance this seems a curious pairing, but scoff not - both of these bands mean a damn sight more than just the dreaded 'B' word. 'Baggy' was a risible term at best, but some of the great songs that kick-started that scene, also kick-started a few band's careers, not least The Charlatans. They sold-out the Roundhouse gigs in pretty quick time and, with Happy Mondays / Black Grape geezer Shaun Ryder as a deserved support act, they may well do the same again with their autumn tour. Two new dates in Edinburgh and Dundee have just been added to the long list, both costing £23.50. If you get a chance to see Tim Burgess and the boys at V, do so.

 

Marc Almond

If you thought Shaun Ryder had a few problems during his chequered past, check this boy out. His most recent was a horrific life-changing motorbike accident, which some say could have finished him off. Personally, I reckon the bigger tragedy was the Soft Cell remixes project, but it's good to see Almond back on his feet and finally penning some new material, his first on a decade. Three new headline gigs have just been added to his autumn tour with Leeds (22nd Nov), Birmingham (28th) and Shepherd's Bush (2nd Dec) now part of the package, all around the £25 mark (plus the usual fees).

 

Owl City

This young synth-pop act managed to sell-out his Shepherd's Bush gig back in March. Otherwise known as Adam Young, the hit single "Fireflies" seems to have struck a chord with the networking-generation, but the real test will be some new material and a new project under the name, Sky Sailing. You'll get a chance to hear both I would imagine when Owl City returns to the UK for a few dates in November in Birmingham (17th), Newcastle (19th), Leeds (21st) and Hammersmith (23rd). Tickets are priced at £22.50.

And finally ...

 

Billy Bragg

Other notable tickets include everyone's favourite political commentator and song-writing 'bloke', Billy Bragg, back to present his own election trail in December. Two new gigs have been confirmed in Nottingham (2nd) and Preston (4th), priced at £18.

 

Reef

Reef also hit the road again, not too long after a couple of outdoor stints in Cornbury and Newton Abbot. They visit Truro (26th November), Portsmouth (27th), Kentish Town Forum (2nd Dec), Wolverhampton (3rd) and Nottingham (4th), possibly with some new material in tow. Tickets are £25.75 or less.

 

Lady Gaga

Oh, and a certain Lady GaGa has an O2 Arena date booked for 16th December - mind you, you might have to mortgage your shed - tickets are £56.25! [She's also just added a third date at Dublin's O2 Arena for 29th October - tickets on sale now, starting at €54.80 - Ed].

Happy clicking!

Paul Pledger