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Fat Friday 20th May 2011: George Michael, Bon Iver, Al Murray, Milton Jones, Deftones, Miles Kane, DJ Shadow and more

Posted: 12 years ago

Blimey George Michael, give it a rest will ya? Actually, he's only gone and added more London dates, the little devil. But never mind that, we reckon Bon Iver might just sell out his short string of UK concerts - his new album bodes well (there's a new track to listen to on the 4AD website - it's a banger). Al Murray follows up his bonkers east ompete for the Meat TV show (win a frozen chicken - genius) with more UK dates... oh, and East 17 are back. Well, you can't have everything. Or can you? Yes you can - Prince is also back in the UK at the Hop Farm Festival!

Tickets on-sale Friday at 9am unless stated. For ticket availability, click on the "Buy Tickets" buttons below, on or after the on-sale date and time. Prices quoted are not inclusive of booking fees.

In addition to his already-sold out UK dates, the star's Symphonica tour just got a little longer with two new London concerts confirmed for 16th and 17th December. This time, Earl's Court is the chosen venue and tickets cost from £51. As I type, Glasgow and Birmingham still have tickets remaining.

It isn't that often that an artist or performer creates a critical 'hoo-hah' by announcing a new album, but Iver is certainly one of them. The bear-grilling, shack-dwelling songwriter of considerable chops looks set to repeat the success of his debut with his self-titled 2nd set, due soon. His autumn tour starts in Manchester on 19th Oct and ends in Bristol on 11th November.

Here comes the Pub Landlord with an extra glassful of Barrel Of Fun. Charge your pint-pots and pour a spritzer for the beautiful lady and head to Guildford on 1st October for the first tour date, followed by other towns that Murray hasn't been to for a while, including the final stop in Carmarthen on 12th November.

The zany and surreal comedian and regular panellist on TV these days, has added further 'Lion Whisperer' dates to his already-packed diary. York, Southport, Birmingham and Grimsby are on sale from Friday - meanwhile, you can also pick up newies in Hastings, Cambridge and Aylesbury, right now from £17.50.

Originally hailing from Canada and an occasional member of Michael McIntyre's Roadshows, Campbell is all set to bring his surreal blend of stoner-comedy to more UK venues. New dates in Harpenden, Stourbridge and Wolverhampton will take place in Sep/Oct and cost around £12.

Chino Moreno and crew are all geared up for owning Reading and Leeds in the late summer - but what if you don't want to suffer the squalor of muddy fields? Well then, time to head to Shepherd's Bush Empire on 24th August for a pre-fest warm-up!! Deftones tickets go on sale this Friday at 9am, priced at £25.

The acclaimed beats 'n' hip-hop producer and musician returns with a new EP and album ("The Less You Know, The Better"), due later this year. Meanwhile Josh Davis brings his DJ Shadow moniker to Village Underground in Shoreditch for a three-night residency, 7th - 9th September.

The Last Shadow Puppet member and songwriter will follow up his May dates and various festival appearances with an October tour, starting with Leeds on the 15th, followed by half-a-dozen others until London's Electric Ballroom on the 25th (available now). He's got a habit of selling venues out and tickets cost from £11.50.

He's been fairly quiet of late, but ex-Aztec Camera frontman Roddy Frame is right back in contention with a series of shows during the autumn. The reclusive songsmith will perform mainly in the North (Leeds, Glasgow, Manchester etc), but heads south for Bristol (17th Oct) and a pair of London gigs at Bush Hall (19th and 20th). Tickets are £18 - £25.

Two-Tone returns to Brixton for the autumn with a new date added to their previously-announced UK tour, set to take place in October and November. The Academy concert (30th Oct) will set you back £35 - meanwhile, their remaining dates are all still available except Wolverhampton (both shows).

Times are a-changing for Suffolk's young Ed Sheeran - he's just inked a deal with Atlantic Records, performed on Jools Holland and announced a UK tour at decent-sized venues. The short jaunt takes in Shepherd's Bush on 3rd October, followed by several more nights until Cambridge on the 25th - from £10.

Ghost Of A Thousand Ghost Of A Thousand
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Recently, the Brighton noise-core outfit opted to call time on their life as a band and now they've announced what promises to be a heart-felt and emotional final night on 23rd July - yep, 'tis their last ever London gig at the Camden Underworld. Tickets are a tenner and Blackhole will support.

This is your chance to witness an absolute legend of the twanging guitar - the man Eddy is appearing at the world-famous (and still surviving) 100 Club in Oxford Street on 21st June. Expect a blast of "Peter Gunn", "Rebel Rouser" and "Shazam!" - tickets cost £22.50.

Time to rummage through the wardrobe for your silver 'puffa' and ill-fitting baseball-cap (plus the obligatory fag behind the ear) - '90s boy-band, now man-band, East 17 are returning (again), hellbent on putting Walthamstow back on the map. A clutch of dates, including one in Islington, take place in July with tickets set to cost £15 - £17.50.

Who'da thunk it? The men behind "We Close Our Eyes" are proving a popular proposition when it comes to seeing them live. This time though, they're headlining a full tour, rather than joining an '80s revival tour - dates for the festive season include Wolves (7th Dec), Newcastle (17th) and more until London (22nd)

Toots and the Maytals Toots and the Maytals
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As well as a brand new UK tour for reggae-stalwarts Toots and the Maytals during September, there are also tickets on sale for rare UK dates for '90s girl-punk-pop band Shonen Knife, an extra tour date in Perth for bluesy John Mayall, a Sheffield concert for guitarist Matt Schofield in November, Explosions In The Sky's 2012 London concert, a Leicester Square residency for avant-garde comedy performer Margaret Cho and two uncompromising thrash-metal/death-metal events, the Hell On Earth Tour 2011 and Damaged Stock 2011.

Just Added

It doesn't get much better than this for the Hop Farm Festival 2011 - Prince has just been added as the headliner for the extra Sunday!!! The diminutive disco-popster and soul-funk legend will round off the weekend in style - tickets for the Sunday, plus upgrades for existing ticket-holders will be made available from Thursday morning.

Sheffield's electro-pop duo will appear as part of a two-day mini-festival to be hosted by the Roundhouse in the autumn. First up, on 14th October, is the live premiere of the entire "Luxury Gap" album, while on the following night you can witness brand new material from B.E.F. under the banner, "Music Of Quality And Distinction Live". Guest singers for the 15th include La Roux, Boy George, Sandie Shaw and Midge Ure. It's £23.50 per night, or £42.50 for the pair!

The shiny-shirted country and pop legend will undertake a tour with a few new destinations, compared to his 2010 tour. New stops this time round for Mr Rhinestone Cowboy include Basingstoke and Plymouth and are on sale now - prices vary from £27.50 to £42.50.

Here comes the man with the tightest pants in metal - Justin Hawkins comes armed with that famous falsetto, once more, with his band's reformation and a handful of new album-promoting dates in June. Norwich, Leamington and Shepherd's Bush all feature - tickets cost up to £25.

Happy clicking!

Paul Pledger