Pitchfork: Ted Leo Plans European Vacation

Quick, grab an easily-offended DIY punk rocker and ask him (it's almost always a him) to consult the latest iteration of "The Index Of Offenses For Which One May Be Properly Labeled A Sellout". We're not sure what to make of Ted Leo's new iTunes-only three-song effort, available for download March 1: great for the iTunes-savvy, sure, but what about the scene, man, the scene? This kind of judgment must have been a lot easier when our rock revolutionaries had only AM radio and The All-New Way-Out Smothers Brothers & Sonny & Cher & Friends Hollywood Variety Half-Hour to tempt them from the righteous path.

However, it's not as if Leo is giving iTunes exclusive rights to a career-defining masterwork-- the three cuts on The Sharkbite Sessions are not likely to significantly alter anybody's understanding of the guy, enjoyable though they might be. "Loyal To My Sorrowful Country" and his version of Split Enz's "Six Months in a Leaky Boat", full-band productions here, both appear in acoustic versions on the Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead EP, and the third track is a cover of Stiff Little Fingers' "Suspect Device", doubtless as enjoyable as it is unnecessary.

But still, what would Phil Lynott say if he were alive today (aside from "Get me the fuck out of this coffin!")? What about the fans, man, the fans? At the following places on the following dates, you can get up in Ted's grill and cast aspersions on his commitment to the music, man, the music, or you can just enjoy yourself like a reasonably typical human being. Your choice:

02-15 Portland, OR - Bossanova
02-18 Santa Ana, CA - Galaxy Theatre
02-19 San Diego, CA - Casbah
02-20 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
02-22 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall (Noise Pop 2005)
02-26 London, England - Underworld
02-27 Norwich, England - Ferry Boat
02-28 Newcastle, England - The Cluny
03-01 Glasgow, Scotland - Nice and Sleazy's
03-02 Manchester, England - Star and Garter
03-03 Exeter, England - Cave In Club
03-04 London, England - Upstairs at the Garage
03-05 Nottingham, England - The Maze
03-06 Leeds, England - The Fenton
03-08 Goteborg, Sweden - Jazzhuset
03-09 Oslo, Norway - Garage
03-10 Linkoeping, Sweden - Herrgarn
03-11 Stockholm, Sweden - Accelerator
03-12 Malmoe, Sweden - Pink Flag
03-13 Flensburg, Germany - Volksbad
03-14 Hamburg, Germany - Molotow
03-15 Berlin, Germany - Magnet
03-16 Saarbruecken, Germany - Hellmut
03-17 Koln, Germany - Underground
03-18 Nuernberg, Germany - Komm
03-19 Prague, Czech Republic - TBA
03-20 Graz, Austria - Arcadium
03-21 Vienna, Austria - Arena
03-23 Genova, Italy - La Madeleine Cafe
03-24 Roma, Italy - Circolo Degli Artisti
03-25 Livorno, Italy - The Cage
03-26 Milano, Italy - Leoncavallo
03-27 Paris, France - TBA
03-28 Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Paradiso
03-29 Utrecht, The Netherlands - Ekko
03-30 Groningen, The Netherlands - Vera
03-31 Rotterdam, The Netherlands - Rotown
04-01 Kontrich, Belgium - Lintfabriek
04-02 Esch, Luxembourg - Kulturfabrik