Pitchfork: Bloc Party Begin Extensive Spring Tour

Now on the sold out NME Awards Tour with the Futureheads, the Killers, and Kaiser Chiefs, England's latest hot-shit band Bloc Party has recently announced a long string of live dates to coincide with both the UK and North American releases of its debut LP, Silent Alarm. The band will take virtually no time off between its current tour obligations and the headlining gigs beginning quick on the heels of Silent Alarm's UK release date on Valentine's Day. Once they've sufficiently indoctrinated their European peers with their party aesthetics, the group will sail on over to (North) America for 16 shows in 20 days. That leg of the tour will begin soon after their South by Southwest appearance and one day before the U.S. release of their debut on March 22.

Alas, the North American trip was not booked with an open-ended ticket, as Bloc Party has already scheduled a full slate of shows back in its home country mere days after the final U.S. date in Washington, DC. Which is a shame, because they seem to attract talent wherever they go, with tour support coming from Erase Errata, The Kills, The Ponys, Chromeo, and Dance Disaster Movement. Like here:

02-02 Brighton, England - Brighton Dome *
02-04 Cambridge, England - Corn Exchange *
02-05 Southampton, England - Guild Hall *
02-06 Cardiff, Wales - Cardiff University *
02-08 Reading, England - Fez
02-09 London, England - Brixton Academy *
02-12 London, England - Alexandra Palace
02-16 London, England - Camden Barfly
02-20 New York, NY - The Roxy
02-22 New York, NY - Happy Endings
03-01 Edinburgh, Scotland - Liquid Room
03-02 Sheffield, England - Leadmill
03-04 London, England - Forum
03-05 Portsmouth, England - Pyramid
03-07 Brussells, Belgium
03-08 Paris, France - Boule Noire
03-21 Pomona, CA - Glass House
03-22 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour (w/ Dance Disaster Movement) #
03-23 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill (w/ Dance Disaster Movement) #
03-24 San Francisco, CA - Pop Scene Fest #
03-26 Seattle, WA - Neumos Crystal Ball Reading Room #
03-27 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richard #
03-30 Minneapolis, MN - First Ave. (w/ The Kills)
03-31 Chicago, IL - Metro +
04-01 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick +
04-02 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Place +
04-03 Montreal, Quebec - Cabaret +
04-05 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club +
04-06 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church +
04-07 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom (w/ Chromeo) +
04-08 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom (w/ Chromeo) +
04-09 Washington, DC - Black Cat +
04-13 London, England - Astoria
04-14 London, England - Astoria
04-15 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowland
04-17 Manchester, England - Manchester University