Sophie Stratford

Exclusive Guillemots gig starts the countdown to July’s Hard Rock Calling

AMERICAN pop punk band Panic! At The Disco hit Newcastle as their first date on their UK tour.

Emerging bands The Smokin’ Barrels and Little Comets, from Newcastle, have plenty to celebrate in the next few days.

THE US’s finest indie exports The Drums, aka “New York’s coolest new party band” hit Newcastle to showcase their second studio album, Portamento.

Cloud Control are an alternative rock band hailing from the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia. The excitement of the bouncy guitarist and moving singer of Cloud Control on the Newcastle stage is touching, considering the success the Sydney four-piece have achieved back home. Their debut album, Bliss Release, won the Australian Music prize, down under’s answer to the Mercury, yet Cloud Control take on the stage with a palatable hunger to do well.

Parisian duo Justice release their feverishly anticipated follow up to their defining debut '†', named Audio Video Disco.

After a summer playing festivals up and down the country Nottingham's finest Dog Is Dead are set to release one off single Hands Down set for release on Halloween.

The Joy Formidable return to the UK after a hugely successful US tour. Originally from Wales, the band moved to London playing under the name Sidecar Kisses. A bassist and a drummer later, they renamed themselves to The Joy Formidable and the journey began. The band has risen steadily to a point where they stand at this midyear juncture as one of the most talked about new bands on both sides of the Atlantic.

Welsh rock gods Funeral For A Friend could be considered at the top of the game right now with five studio albums to their name but with new album, Welcome Home Armageddon, the group took a brave new direction, but rest assure they are still as cool, driven and manic live as they ever were.

Devon roots-punks, Crazy Arm, release their imminent new album Union City Breath a follow up to 2009’s dramatic debut, Born To Ruin.