Weekly Round-Up: Friday 22nd November

If the weather didn't give it away, it is pretty obvious from all of the shows that were announced yesterday that summer is nearly here. The 2014 Big Day Out announced two side shows: Snoop Dogg A.K.A Snoop Lion will perform at the Powerstation, while seminal grunge act Mudhoney will play the Kings Arms, both the night before the festival. The Rolling Stones are celebrating their fiftieth anniversary by heading to New Zealand next year (details are yet to be confirmed), Laneway Festival have announced a Wellington, hip hop-oriented side show featuring Danny Brown, Earl Sweatshirt and Run the Jewels, and Los Angeles-based electronic musician Baths will head back to New Zealand in March. Locally, Street Chant are heading out on a nationwide tour in December and Team Ugly kick off the nationwide tour to celebrate the release of their EP, Screaming in Tongues this weekend in Auckland.

A couple of very exciting album announcements have been made this week. Los Angeles-based, experimental rock trio Liars will release their follow up to their critically-acclaimed 2012 album WIXIW next March on Mute, and have posted three promotional clips that depict a bunch of animated, multi-colour string (what does it all mean!). Beck shared a couple of details about his forthcoming full length Morning Phase (due for release in February via Capitol) including the fact that it was partly recorded at Jack White's Third Man Records and that it is influenced by "California Music", while Sub Pop has announced that recent signees THUMPERS will release their debut album next February, and you can watch their video for 'Sound of Screams' to decide whether you're going to buy it or not.

In music video news (of which there is a lot), New Zealand's smoothest sonic operator, Connan Mockasin has released the video for his single 'I'm The Man, That Will Find You', in which he creeps around a mansion casually "finding" a young lady and gazing - knowingly - into the camera, while Arcade Fire recruited one of our favourite music video directors, Emily Kai Bock (who is responsible for Grimes' amazing clip for single 'Oblivion') for the video accompaniment to their single 'Afterlife', which dramatizes the lives of individual members of a nuclear family. If you would like to prepare yourself for next year's Laneway Festival, Chvrches performed 'The Mother We Share' on Jimmy Kimmell while in a brilliantly hilarious turn, J Mascis (of Dinosaur Jr.) and Fred Armisen from Portlandia have covered TLC's 'Waterfalls', and it is a beautiful thing to behold. You're welcome.

WEEKEND GIG PICKS:

Friday

AUCKLAND: Beastwars, Kings Arms Tavern
AUCKLAND: Team Ugly, Caroles and Las Tetas, Cross St Studios
WELLINGTON: Square Wave Festival, Puppies
WELLINGTON: Newtown Rocksteady, SFBH
CHRISTCHURCH: The Tiny Lies and Delaney Davidson, Wunderbar
CHRISTCHURCH: The Map Room, Darkroom
DUNEDIN: T54 Album Release, Queens
DUNEDIN: Chick's Birthday Festival, Chicks Hotel

Saturday

AUCKLAND/LEIGH: Lawrence Arabia, Leigh Sawmill Cafe
AUCKLAND: Luckless and Great North, Portland Public House
AUCKLAND: Tourettes EP Release, Golden Dawn
WELLINGTON: Square Wave Festival, Puppies
WELLINGTON: Zine Fest After Party, Mighty Mighty
CHRISTCHURCH: T54 Album Release, Darkroom
CHRISTCHURCH: Square Wave Festival, Third Door Down
DUNEDIN: The Map Room, Queens
DUNEDIN: Chick's Birthday Festival, Chicks Hotel

For loads more great gigs head over to our gig guide or grab our iPhone App.

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