July 22nd, 2010

With blown minds still reeling from a record-breaking one-off headline appearance at this year’s Coachella festival, Gorillaz have confirmed that their worldwide “Escape To Plastic Beach” tour will begin in North America with a 20 date stretch commencing October 3 at Montreal’s Bell Centre and including the band’s first ever performance at Madison Square Garden on October 8.

Fran Healy, lead singer and main songwriter of acclaimed Scottish rock band Travis, is excited to announce the release of his debut solo album WRECKORDER. Set for an October 5th release on Ryko, Healy’s first release on the label, WRECKORDER is the work of a quintessential pop songwriter. Known for songs such as “Sing” and “Why Does It Always Rain On Me,” among other hugely successful tracks, Healy has been recognized by Q Magazine, Rolling Stone, and NME, amongst others, for what Entertainment Weekly calls “a gorgeous mosaic of shimmering guitar pop.” Artists such as Coldplay, Noel Gallagher, The Doves and Gomez have cited Healy’s sophisticated and atmospheric arrangements as a major influence on their own sound.

Just a few days after their debut album was named on the shortlist for this year’s Mercury Music Prize, London three-piece The xx have revealed they may begin work on a follow-up record by this October.