While both sides of the Atlantic were frugging their spotty chops off to Green Day, Blink-182 and The Offspring during the mid to late '90s, Stateside kids were keeping one punky-rock outfit all to themselves.

Formed in 1997, Motion City Soundtrack have, according to the band's podcasts and the American Album Chart statistics, sold over 600k of albums. Impressive stuff, yet nearly 90% of those sales have been in the States alone - over here, we haven't (yet) taken to them. There's always time.

After issuing the ubiquitous debut single on hard-to-find-unless-you-sell-your-children-first 7" vinyl (It's called 'Promenade', wax collectors), the band took a further three years to cook up an audibly-plausible soup of frenetic pop-punk anthems to form an album, 'I Am The Movie'. Notable hardcore and punk label Epitaph signed them a year later and subsequently reissued the debut and earned the band a breakthrough. Almost ten years, three more increasingly well-received albums and several line-up changes later, Motion City Soundtrack return this year with their 5th album and a brace of shows as headliners and Slam Dunkers.

In a move that some might tag as retro, but the band might bill as a 'rounding off' event, MCS will perform a pair of shows in April at London's XOYO. Each night will feature two albums performed in their entirety - 18th April will see them perform 'I Am The Movie' and 2005's 'Commit This To Memory', while the following night (19th) sees 'Even If It Kills Me' and 'My Dinosaur Life' back to back. We have tickets for both shows on sale now, priced at £15 per night. Original two-day passes have now sold out.

Later during May, Motion City Soundtrack will be supporting Taking Back Sunday on all dates of the Slam Dunk Festival 2012 tour. Calling points are Leeds, Hatfield, Cardiff and Glasgow and tickets are available now, priced from £22.50 to £32.50.