For someone who escaped the clutches of Noah and the Whale's line-up some three years ago, Laura Marling has done very nicely on her own, thank you very much. After a brief dalliance with Mystery Jets a little while later, she officially kicked-off as a solo artist towards the end of 2008 by being nominated for a Mercury Music Prize for her debut album, "Alas, I Cannot Swim". She didn't win the coveted award but suddenly, the word was out - and it was; 'Marling is good - very good'.

Last year she finished and released the sophomore, "I Speak Because I Can", further strengthening her reputation as a solid songwriter and not just another 'girl with a guitar'. For album number three, "A Creature I Don't Know", she continues with personal subjects with eerie imagery, a little of which you can sample on the song "Sophia", cunningly embedded on this page (just up a bit to your right). The single has already been aired on Radio 1 and will form part of the full album upon its release on 12th September.

To plug the album, Marling has chosen some unlikely concert venues to perform in, namely a dozen or so major cathedrals! Initially, the forthcoming tour will grace halls and temples in the US and Canada, before heading across the pond to the UK.

She begins her home-turf jaunt, aptly-entitled the When The Bell Tolls Tour, in Exeter's fabulous Cathedral on 14th October, followed by Winchester, Guildford, York, Westminster and many more until Birmingham's Cathedral on 29th. Tickets are on sale from Allgigs on Friday at 9am and will retail for £20 (or £22.50 for London).

Demand for this tour will be incredibly high, given the promise of new material being performed in spaces with incredible acoustics - you've just got to get a ticket, right?