Recently we reported on next year's HMV-sponsored Next Big Thing celebrations in February, featuring gigs by Fenech-Soler, The Bongolian, Clare Maguire and Josh Weller. Not surprisingly, a whole welter of new and related shows has been announced during the past fortnight, from which we bring you a few of the highlights, including the first Birmingham and Edinburgh-based events. These will be held at the HMV Institute and Picture House venues respectively and tickets for those as well as all other Next Big Thing events cost just £10 + fees.

Click on the images or see the listings below for ticket availability.

Kassidy

Scotland's very hairy acoustic nu-roots ensemble Kassidy are all set to play not one, but two NBT2011 gigs in both London and Birmingham. The likeable harmonic folksters will perform at the Camden BarFly on the 7th February, followed by a gig in Birmingham on the following night. Having just gleaned a listen to their tunes on their My Space page, I reckon they're thoroughly worth every penny of your ten English pounds.

Jon Fratelli

The guitarist and songwriter has, for the time being at least, left behind the band's he founded (The Fratellis and Codeine Velvet Club) to concentrate on a bit of solo action. With a new brace of songs due to be assembled into an album for 2011 (basically with the CVC band-members, according to his website), it looks like Mr Fratelli will be shifting tickets for his Edinburgh concert on the 12th pretty sharpish.

The Pierces

I'm going to stick my neck out here and proclaim that The Pierces will crossover at some point, if their excellent 2010 EP "Love You More" is anything to go by. With flashes of country-raunch, Throwing Muses, PJ Harvey and Fleetwood Mac in amongst their perfectly-honed road-music, you can expect quality songs all the way. The siblings aren't new to this game, having released a few albums already since 2000, but their upcoming 2011 album promises much. They play the Jazz cafe on the 8th.

The Mummers

As the flames of nu-folk start to fizzle out slightly, Brighton's Mummers are possibly the band to add a bit of theatre to a genre that can border on irksome. Quite simply, their "Tale To Tell" set from 2009 was sumptuous and absorbing, brimming with huge swathes of big choruses and fairground-shanties, for want of a better expression. Cruelly ignored for a Mercury Prize, Raissa and crew will appear at The Garage, Islington with upcoming singer Benjamin Francis Leftwich on the 8th.

Dutch Uncles

Other confirmed performers over the course of the 'festival' include Dutch Uncles (The Garage - 7th, with Banjo Or Freakout), a set from The Japanese Popstars (Camden BarFly - 8th), electro-popsters Diagram Of The Heart (Heaven - 9th, with Retro/Grade) and the enigmatic classical-pianist James Rhodes (Jazz Cafe - 10th), whose new album will get a review on this very site pretty soon (and yes, it's a goodie).