News

Crystal Castles, Everything Everything And Magnetic Man Sign Up To The NME Awards Tour

• 9th Nov 2010

The NME Awards Tour is back and for 2011 it's bolder than ever. Renowned for giving the freshest new acts their first taste of national notoriety – past alumni include The Arctic Monkeys, The Horrors, Franz Ferdinand and Florence & The Machine – 2011's line-up represents the most exciting, groundbreaking and visceral acts around. Kicking off on Thursday February 3rd at Glasgow O2 Academy and crossing the UK until February 19th, the NME Awards Tour will bring the very best in new music directly to you.

NME's editor Krissi Murison describes the Awards Tour line-up: “This is the most diverse and exciting NME Awards Tour line-up yet and really reflects the range of music that NME champions every week. From the UK's best new guitar band to dubstep's first supergroup, it represents the most cutting edge sounds of 2010 and beyond.”

Ethan Kath & Alice Glass AKA Crystal Castles take pole position, headlining the NME Awards Tour 2011. Their relentless rise has seen them cement their position as the biggest band in the blogosphere with music fans' insatiable desire for all things Crystal Castles helping them to rack up well over 75 million plays across myspace and lastfm. Imbuing synth sounds with the rawest rock n roll spirit their live shows are a startling mix of measured chaos and magic, revolving around Alice's helter-skelter stage antics.
Currently making waves with the effortless pop of their latest single 'Not In Love' featuring former NME Godlike Genius Robert Smith, Crystal Castles are always on the edge and utterly unmissable.

Ethan Kath (Crystal Castles) on heading the bill: “We're looking forward to it, yeah. We've done the Radar tour before [in 2008], so this one will be like a step up for us, especially because we're headlining. I'm a really big fan of Magnetic Man, so I'm looking forward to seeing them every night.”

Magnetic Man, featuring Skream, Benga and scene catalyst Artwork – a holy trinity of Dubstep's major players responsible for propelling the sound of Croydon bass culture onto the worldwide stage – will be supplying the NME Awards Tour with a sublime live set of spine-shredding sub-bass action. With their eponymous album recently smashing into the official UK Album chart's top five, Magnetic Man is the consummate supergroup taking electronic music into brand new sonic territory.

Skream (Magnetic Man) on the eclectic bill: “I think it's gonna work. It's kind of a sign of the times. You go to a club night now and you no longer have one-genre crowds, it's better for everyone and makes it more exciting.”
Art-pop purveyors Everything Everything's sinewy scattergun riffs, note perfect three-part harmonies and throbbing bass marked them out as prime movers for 2010. A critically lauded debut album and some of the standout performances of this year's festival season have only cemented their reputation as one of the most electrifying acts around.

Everything Everything commented: “It's quite an honour to be invited to do this. And, frankly, we're daunted at playing alongside the might of Magnetic Man particularly. But I think all the acts will bring out the best in each other in that respect. We're excited and inspired and it's going to be a grand thing man… “

The Vaccines, who release their debut double A-sided single, Wrekin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra) / Blow It Up in late November, have bagged the coveted opening slot for the NME Awards Tour 2011. Currently recording their debut album, due in spring of next year, this will be the first opportunity to check out one of the most hotly tipped bands for 2011. Expect to hear a lot more from The Vaccines.

Justin (The Vaccines) on joining the Awards Tour: “It's an exciting prospect; the thought of playing our music to so many more people than we're used to. We're all looking forward to it. Touring is our favourite thing about being in a band. It's why you start a band, isn't it?”
With a line up that captures the spirit of 2010 and sets the agenda for an explosive forthcoming year of music, NME yet again leads where others follow, bringing the best in new music to your doorstep.

Tickets for the NME Awards Tour 2011 will be available on Pre-sale exclusively through link from 9am on Wednesday 10th November then will be on general release via Gigs and Tours and Ticketmaster on Friday 12th November.

Keep checking link for more details. Tag your tweets with ♯nmeawardsto join the conversation.

NME Awards Tour Dates 2011:
Thu 03 Feb Glasgow O2 Academy
Fri 04 Feb Manchester Academy
Mon 07 Feb Newcastle O2 Academy
Tue 08 Feb Nottingham Rock City
Wed 09 Feb Leeds O2 Academy
Fri 11 Feb Norwich UEA
Sat 12 Feb Birmingham O2 Academy
Sun 13 Feb Cardiff Uni Great Hall
Tue 15 Feb Bristol O2 Academy
Wed 16 Feb Bournemouth O2 Academy
Thu 17 Feb Brighton Dome
Sat 19 Feb London O2 Academy Brixton

Ticket Info:
NME Pre-sale – on sale 9am on 10th November
www.nme.com/tickets / 0871 230 1094
General release – on sale from 9am on 12th November
www.gigsandtours.com / 0844 811 0051
www.ticketmaster.co.uk / 0844 826 2826

Tickets are priced £16 each plus a 50p charity donation to Teenage Cancer Trust.
(Prices are subject to booking fees)