They say that some awards can drive a nail into the coffin of some performers' careers - just ask Speech Debelle. Her 2009 Mercury Music Prize triumph went sour after supplies of her album dried up just long enough for interested punters to get bored of waiting for restocks. Ms Dynamite hasn't exactly encapsulated the fervour surrounding her fine efforts in 2002/3, even after adding MOBOs and BRITs to the mantelpiece.

However, when it comes to the NME Awards Tour, the precursor to the awards themselves, it's a different matter. Many bands have benefitted from not only being crowned with the familiar 'middle-finger' poised statuette, but from also embarking on the big-build up jaunt. 2012's choice of headlining band is a case in point...

For the NME Awards Tour 2012, following on from the likes of this year's Magnetic Man and Everything Everything, as well as The Bluetones (1996), Stereophonics (1998), The Killers (2005) and 2010's Bombay Bicycle Club and The Maccabees, there will be slots from Two Door Cinema Club, Metronomy, Tribes and Azealia Banks.

Two Door Cinema Club are as good as made after forming in 2007, winning the 2010 Irish Choice Music Prize for album of the year and delighting crowds at Reading, Leeds, Glastonbury and Isle of Wight during the summer, reason enough to part with £19 - £21 for a ticket! Metronomy just missed out on a Mercury Music Prize this year with their fine album, "The English Riviera". As for Tribes and Azealia Banks? The former release a new album in January ("Baby") and the latter is working on more potty-mouth pop-rap just like her recent charmer, "212".

The tour starts on 8th February in Glasgow, followed by Newcastle, Manchester, Nottingham etc until the closing shows in Brighton and Brixton - that last one is on the 25th. Tickets will go on sale via Allgigs at 9am on Friday morning. Previous NME Awards Tours have had a habit of selling out - so be ready Friday morning!