Want to know which bands and artists are heading your way in the next seven days? Don't miss getting hold of those hot tickets with our guide to the best concerts this week.
Even thought the weather is still pretty cold and venturing out in the evenings seems like a brave thing to do, you can bet that a sweaty venue with thousands of screaming fans will get you all warmed up and raring to go.
This week sees some top bands and singers touring the UK's best venues (do these guys ever take a break from touring?), including X Factor finalist Olly Murs, electronic dance producer Sonny Moore - you'll know him as Skrillex, Scouse indie rock band The Wombats, hip hop duo Rizzle Kicks, and NME all-time favourite Noel Gallagher who is continuing his tour of Europe by appearing in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Also worth mentioning are Scottish 90's band Simple Minds, who appear in Brum in a few days, and Sporty Spice makes a return with a refreshing new sound, appearing in Manchester on the 25th of February.
Breaking news: the Dog is Dead. He died of overindulgence in Indie pop.
But that is where the bad news ends. The good news is that the five-member band named Dog is Dead is out on a mission to prove to the United Kingdom that the genre of Indie pop is the best thing that ever happened after the invention of music.
From February 18 through March 17, the band -- whose core ambition is to play pop music that appeals both to those who love jazz and choir fanatics -- will be performing in the UK and Ireland. Bearing in mind that a three of the band members met at the West Bridgford School, watching the band live is like watching kids who have grown together doing what they like most.
Famous for singles like 'Glockenspiel Song' (2010) and 'Hands Down' (2011), this band enriches jazz in a way that no other band can.
The band's line-up is quite funny, with two Lawrences, two Robs and a Joss. No wonder the Dog is Dead.
Skrillex is an electronic dance music producer also known as Sonny Moore and has been previously known on the internet as Twipx.
Skrillex is from LA in California and is the former frontman from an American band called The First To last.
He began performing in clubs in LA in 2007. Skrillex embarked on his first solo tour, Team Sleep Tour with Team Sleep, Strata and the Monster in the Machine.
He then toured North America on the Alternative Press Tour supporting bands including All Time Low and The Rocket Summer. Moore has also appeared on the cover of Alternative Press in the 100 Bands You Need To Know issue.
In June 2010 he released his official free download debut EP called My Name Is Skrillex.
In April 2011 Spin Magazine premiered Skrillexs new track that he produced for KoRn called Get Up.
KoRn joined Skrillex during his set at Coachella 2011.
Although best known through their seat in Alternative Music's class of 2005, Kaiser Chiefs originally began life as the less successful Parva in 1996.
Their reinvention a decade later saw them take the country by storm, and with the combined song writing talents of Nick Hodgson and the natural stage presence of front-man Ricky Wilson they showed that they were a force to be taken seriously - despite their tongue-in-cheek attitude and songs such 'Everyday I Love you Less and Less'.
After Mercury nominated debut 'Employment' the band went on to three more album, their latest - 'The Future is Medieval' revolutionised album formatting by allowing fans to chose their own track-listing by picking their favourite songs from their website.
In 2012 Kaiser Chiefs will be showcasing this album on a twenty-one date tour across the UK from January 27th through February. Expect latest single 'Little Shocks' and anthems like 'Oh My God' and 'Angry Mob' as they show why they are such highly regarded festival favourites.
A Northern Irish band, relatively new to the Indie rock scene, they have musical success since 2007.
General Fiasco have toured with a variety of big names in the business and recently played to 45,000 fans whilst supporting Snow Patrol on their Homecoming Ward Park gig.
Their debut album was 'Buildings' released March 2010 which has received good reviews. Band members are Owen Strathern on Bass and vocals, his brother Enda Strathern on guitar and backing vocals and Stephen Leacock on drums.
This summer you may have seen them enjoying the sunshine at T in the Park, Glastonbury or Pink Pop Festival.
Liverpool-based indie rock band The Wombats formed in 2003 when three of the band members met one-another at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts.
The lads found a common interest in music and started to jam together, releasing their debut single Girls, Boys, and Marsupials in 2006.
Best-known for their catchy hit Moving to New York, The Wombats have gained national and international recognition, with a numerous world tours performances under their belt and their first album, The Wombats Proudly Present: A Guide to Love Loss & Desperation, reaching number 11 in the UK Albums Chart.
Hawaiian born singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, model and actress is best known for being the lead vocalist for girl band the Pussycat Dolls.
Back in the late 1990s Nicole was the vocalist for rock group Days of the New and found fame on a reality TV girl group Edens Crush.
The singer left the Pussycat Dolls in 2010 and embarked on a solo career releasing her solo debut album Killer Love.
The second single from her solo album Dont Hold Your Breath peaked at No.1 in the UK singles charts, giving Nicole her first No.1 hit as a solo artist.
Nicole won the tenth season of Dancing with the Stars in 2010 and is now a judge on the American version of The X Factor.
She has been ranked in Maxims Hot 100 in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Many people have heard of the song writer Benjamin Francis Leftwich, but few understand that he was introduced to music through classic rock.
Some of his idols include the Rolling Stones and Nina Simone, such groups went on to cause the performer to take a decidedly more classic slant in his composition.
This is not to say that he "re-hashes" his work, no in fact he is rather revolutionary.
He is a relatively new artist on the scene with his debut album Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm coming out in 2011.
There is no end to what Benjamin Francis Leftwich may do in the next couple years, but one thing is for sure, he will be taking it all very seriously.
Critics have had mixed reactions to his music, but the fans all enjoy it tremendously.
This is a contributing force to music that will be around for quite some time to come.
Don't miss The Wanted as they embark on their first UK tour.
Hear all the hits from their self titled debut album including the Number 1 charting, All Time Low
English Folk musician Seth Lakeman was born and raised in Devon and along with his brothers Sam and Sean has played a variety of instruments and recorded folk music in their own band first of all.
Seth's solo career was launched in 2002 when he released his debut album 'The Punch Bowl' to much critical acclaim.
Subsequent album releases were; 'Kitty Jay' in 2004, 'Freedom Fields' in 2006, 'Poor man's Heaven' in 2008 and 'Hearts and Mind's' in 2010.
Seth's instrumental range includes vocals, banjo, fiddle, viola and guitar.
Rizzle Kicks are a hip-hop duo from Southend in London.
The duo consists of Jordan Rizzle Stephens and Harley Sylvester Alexander-Sule .
They released their debut album Stereo Typical on 31 October 2011.
Rizzle Kicks have been making music together since they attended school in Sussex.
They realised that their style fitted together when Alexander-Sule sang over one of Stephens tracks.
A promotional single Miss Cigarette was released in December 2010; they then released their debut single Prophet (Better Watch It) in May 2011, which was offered as a free download on their website.
Their second single Down With The Trumpets entered the UK Singles Charts in June 2011, which peaked at No.
8 in September 2011.
Noel Gallagher is an English musician and singer songwriter famous for his backing vocals and song writing for the band Oasis, which was formed with his brother Liam Gallagher in 1991.
Noels time with Oasis had always been turbulent especially during the Britpop scene in the 90s.
In 2009 just before a gig, a fight began between the brothers and Liam was reported to have broken Noels guitar and stormed off.
This concert and their European tour was cancelled and a statement was released saying the band doesnt exist anymore.
Noel has now formed a new band called Noel Gallaghers High Flying Birds releasing a debut album in the same name in October 2011.
Noel announced a week later that he will be touring Europe from 26 November 2011.
Kylesa, a sludgy rock band from Savannah, Georgia, USA combine indie, punk and metal to create their own unique stoner sound.
It's rumoured they took their name from Kylesa Mara which is the Buddhist term for states of mental delusion.
By incorporating psychedelic rock into their sound, along with the fierce drumming supplied by two drummers, Kylesa's tunes can easily lull listeners into various stages of music-induced delusion.Although they've only been around for just over a decade, they've managed a couple of line-up changes, most tragically after the death of bassist, Michael Duke.
Their recording history includes five studio albums, five EPs as well as a few joint releases with other bands like Memento Mori. Kylesa are currently touring Europe with gigs in the UK kicking off at the Haunt in Brighton on 19 February.
After the tour, watch out for an appearance at the German Wacken Festival in August.
Scottish rock band 'Simple Minds' were at the peak of their popularity in the early 1990s.
The band are thought to have sold more than 40 million albums world wide and are famed for 80s hits like 'Don't You (Forget about Me)'.
Their material has been critically acclaimed and hugely popular.
Band members are Jim Kerr (composer/vocals), Charlie Burchill (composer, guitar, violin and sax) Mel Gaynor (drums), Andy Gillespie (keyboard) and Ged Grimes (Bass).
Achieving second place on ITV's The X Factor in 2009, Olly Murs debut single named Please Don't Let Me Go' hit the top spot on the UK's Singles Chart, and his second single Thinking of Me reached number four.
Of Latvian descent, Olly signed a joint deal between Epic Records and Syco Music in 2010, and will shortly be co-presenting the eighth series of The Xtra Factor, the companion show to the X Factor.
The industrial genre is typically full of acts that are very dark and brooding, and while Rammstein has these qualities it is also not without a sense of humor.
The band tends to do a lot of different pyrotechnics sets in addition to other forms of entertainment while playing their music, and this adds a great deal to the band's appeal with fans.
To say that they have a great fan base would be an understatement, this is a group that has an international following after the release of the hit album Sehnsucht.
Once that album was released hit singles such as Ich Wil Dich among others gained an awful lot of popularity, and to this day it can be heard in some underground clubs.
Rammstein is currently working on a new album and is planning a corresponding tour sometime thereafter, they are a group to keep an eye on if a fan of industrial music.
Sarah Millican is a successful English stand-up comedienne from South Shields.
Her profile on the comedy scene first increased after winning the 'if.comedy award' in 2008 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
She is now a regular and popular addition to many a TV show such as 'Have I Got News For You', '8 Out of Ten Cats', 'Mock the Week' etc and has recently been a celebrity guest panellist on 'Loose Women'.
She releases her 'Live' DVD in 2011 and has completed three live tours, the latest of which was her 'Chatterbox' tour in 2010.
Yes, Sporty Spice is back.
She is back with her latest album, "The Sea".
The album has a refreshing new sound and her ability to write and express extreme emotions are more than evident in the album.
"The Sea" is more adventurous with her confidence showing in the new limits she is attaining as a songwriter.One of the tracks on the album, "Rock Me" was used by the German TV channel ZDF as part of their coverage of the FIFA Women's World Cup in June 2011 and became a big hit in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
However, the album itself was released September of last year.
As a solo artist, Melanie Chisholm or better known now as Melanie C, has released five solo albums.
After her successful 2011 album tour in Germany and UK which was "The Sea Live 2011", Melanie C is back on the road at the end of February when she kicks off her 8 date upcoming UK and Ireland tour.
Renowned for his riveting concerts and tropical themed music.
This legend musician and vocalist, from the "Coral Reefers Band", famous for "Margaritaville", "Come Monday", and "Hey Good Lookin".
Award winner for 8 Gold Albums and 9 Platinum Albums.
Praised for singing alongside the brilliant Alan Jackson and the Zac Brown Band.
Ushering in more attention through his lyrics, this musical genius famed for creating a country, folk, and pop music mix with aspects of coastal and Caribbean themes.
Gathering hits from his "Christmas Island" soundtrack, and making us believe that it is possible to celebrate Christmas without the snow.
He amazes fans throughout his years of entertainment.
Since 1965, he has brought passion and pride to our hearts and minds.
His spark for great music never diminishes.
A man whose fan base remains devoted to his everlasting melody.
Please throw your Hawaiian lei up in the air and give a thrilling welcome to hit sensation and prominent artist in the music industry- Jimmy Buffett!
While the Beth Hart Band received its debut exposure in a decidedly mainstream capacity (a featured track on Beverly Hills 90210), the group has grown into a unique force within the music industry.
The band is quite prolific having released several studio albums in addition touring rather vigorously.
While none of the group's music has soared in popularity like the song LA Song (Out of this Town), their other music has been just as high of a caliber.
Fans are always eagerly awaiting another release from this group, and as a result many are quick to purchase their albums prior to them being announced.
The Beth Hard Band is not currently touring and has not made any statements about an upcoming album, but the future is quite bright where they are concerned.
Taking the time to appreciate the huge amount of work the band puts into its music is not difficult, and it is a lot of fun.
Grouplove is a relatively new American Indie rock band, thrust into the spotlight in 2011 with the release of their debut album Never trust a happy song. The second single from the album, Tongue tied reached number 16 on the US Alternative Billboard chart.
The band was formed in Greece during a summer vacation, when the five members, Christian Zucconi, Sean Gadd, Hannah Hooper, Andrew Wesson and Ryan Rabin met and began making music together.
After the holiday was over, it was decided that they shared such a creative bond, that they should all relocate to Los Angeles and continue to make music.
They created the name Grouplove after they got started in LA.
The music that Grouplove creates is as diverse as it is easy to relate to, and their fan base is growing rapidly by the day.
The band is currently on a world tour, starting with Europe and the UK, followed by a long tour of the United States.
Band of Skulls is an alternative garage rock band from England.
They originally performed as Fleeing New York before becoming Band of Skulls in 2008.
The band formed when Russel Marsden, Emma Richardson and Matt Hayward met in college and connected over their shared love of music.
Though theyve only released one full album (and an EP in 2010), they have had a great deal of commercial success.
Their music has been featured in advertising, TV series, and video games.
They are planning to release their latest album, Sweet Sour in February, 2012.
Like their first album, Sweet Sour is filled with the sort of melodic ballads and catchy hooks that caused their song Friends to be featured on the soundtrack for Twilight: New Moon.
Fans of Band of Skulls can follow the band on facebook where they can find links to articles, interviews, and newly released tracks, as well as compete in contests and competitions that Band of Skullsfrequently posts.
Australian Pink Floyd is the band to see when it comes to Pink Floyd tributes.
More than just an average cover band, Aussie Pink Floyd meticulously strives to recreate the ground-breaking work of the iconic band and put on mind-blowing live stage shows.
Lasers, lights, on-screen visuals, and huge inflatables give lucky audience members a chance to really feel like they're at an authentic Pink Floyd concert.
In 2011 they became the first band to debut a new stereoscopic 3D element as part of their show and 2012 is sure to bring more jaw-dropping innovations to the delight of their large fan base.
Since their formation in 1988, the band has performed in 35 countries to more than 3 million fans, including actual members of Pink Floyd.
Their new Exposed In The Light tour is already selling out venues throughout Europe and promises to bring them continued success as more people discover this truly talented tribute band.
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