Bat For Lashes announces new album and UK tour

We love Natasha Khan. Mostly cos she's a Brightonian, like all the best people. Oh yeah, and because, she's, like, totally awesome at songs and stuff. Anyhoo, the exciting news is that her hotly anticipated third album, The Haunted Man, is coming out on 12 October 2012 via Parlophone/EMI Music.

A full UK tour has just been announced, including The Forum in London on 29 October, summer festivals like Latitude and Bestival and a final date back in good ol' Sussex by the sea,

Since releasing the universally acclaimed album Two Suns in 2009, which has now sold over 250,000 copies, Natasha toured South America with Coldplay in 2010, collaborated with Beck to write a song for the Twilight film, Eclipse, headlined two sold out shows at the Sydney Opera House in June 2011 and covered Depeche Mode’s Strangelove for Gucci’s Guilty campaign, released on limited release on 7” vinyl for this year’s Record Store Day in the UK.

Full details of all her tour dates can be found at www.batforlashes.com

The Temper Trap return to Brighton's Great Escape festival this year

We don't like to blow our own trumpets at Bobbysix.com (we actually really do), but we've been raving about The Temper Trap for years now. In fact, for longer than they have even been called The Temper Trap. Our love for the Melbourne band is almost as big as our love for the beautiful city of Brighton, so imagine how excited we were to hear that the two are coming together for The Great Escape Festival this year. The boys too, are really up for it, saying, “We can't wait to play The Great Escape again - being part of the event in 2009 was incredible and 2012 is going to be even better. We'll be playing songs from our new album, its set to be a very special show”.

The Great Escape 2012 is well on the way to bursting point as a whopping 141 artists were today added to the line-up taking this year’s edition to an unparalleled level of showmanship. The news comes at the same time as a decision from Arts Council England to support the festival with a £38,000 grant. The award is intended to help the festival to deliver local collaborations, education and development and to promote international diversity and collaboration between artists.

Other excellent artists set to make the trip down to Europe’s leading festival for new music include Jack White signings The Black Belles on their first UK trip, while Supergrass alumnus Gaz Coombes will be performing his brilliant new work. We Are Augustines, St Lucia, Body Language, Devin, The Front Bottoms, Cloud Nothings and more will also play, while, fresh out of SXSW, Haim, Pond and Wild Belles will be doing their thing. A few more established acts like S.C.U.M, We Are Scientists, We Were Promised Jetpacks and Kids in Glass Houses will be there too.

You can check out the full programme by day and venue, as well as getting yorself some tickets, at www.escapegreat.com today. The festival will hit Brighton this May and you can still just about get the early bird price before the deadline. So don't delay.

Breaking M83, Anna Calvi and Twin Shadow tour news.

Some Laneway sideshow news hot off the press is that pioneering solo orchestra M83 has added an extra date to his sideshow run. His mighty fine album Hurry Up I'm Dreaming has made a mark on countless best-of-2011 lists and tickets to his first two dates in Sydney and Melbourne have completely sold out, so you'd do well to make a note of the sales deets below. You snooze, you lose suckers.

Thursday 2nd February 2012 Prince Bandroom, MELBOURNE
Tickets through Moshtix, online or 1300 GET TIX (438 849) and The Prince Bandroom, online or 03 9536 1168 Tickets go on sale 9am, Thursday 22 December (that's tomorrow, by the way).

In other sideshow news, ANNA CALVI and TWIN SHADOW will be joining to forces and playing co-headline shows in Sydney and Melbourne (a coming-together of their previously-scheduled sideshows). Here's the score:

SYDNEY: Monday 6 February, Oxford Art Factory, Sydney. Tix on sale now from moshtix.com.au.

Tickets for Anna Calvi at the Metro Theatre will remain valid for the new Oxford Art Factory date on Monday 6 February, or customers can elect for a full refund. A Century Venues representative will be contacting patrons, or alternatively, customers can call (02) 9550 3666 to make arrangements. 

MELBOURNE: Wednesday 1st February, Corner Hotel, Melbourne. Tix from Polyesters (City and Fitzroy stores) or cornerhotel.com

Tickets for Anna Calvi on Friday 3 February will remain valid for the new date on Wednesday 1 February or customers can elect for a full refund. The Corner Hotel Box Office will be in contact to make arrangements, or alternatively, customers can call (03) 9427 9198. 

Campaign launched to fund comedy legend's funeral

Comedy legend, Chris Sievey, that's Frank Sidebottom to you and I, sadly passed away this week and, despite being much-loved over a lengthy career, left few assets behind. In The Manchester Evening News, his son Stirling said: "My father has not left any money behind and we are struggling to try and sort his funeral out. He spent money as it came in and was always a man for the moment.

"We would not know how to go about getting that sort of money [to pay for the funeral]. They said that applying for a pauper’s funeral would be an option. We would not want our dad to have a pauper’s funeral but we would not want something over the top for him. Just something simple and dignified."

In response, Sidebottom's fans have created a facebook group with details of how to donate. Supporters can also search for the Twitter hashtag #franksfund.