Things getting awesome in #Wakefield on September 25th. Tickets on sale now! https://t.co/jIzmWS2rmP pic.twitter.com/Nwmjob5ZkP

— Long Division (@Long_Division_) March 11, 2021

In a statement posted on the Long Division Instagram account, the festival organisers said “Here’s our first full batch of artists for 2021. All in Wakefield City Centre within easy walking distance, in a range of weird and wonderful Wakefield spaces…We started this in 2011 not really knowing what we were doing. We just knew we want to get people to Wakefield to see some great grassroots artists breaking through, whilst checking in with a few musical legends on the way. It’s been a pretty tough ten years, but we’re still here. You’re still here too. So, let’s get together and celebrate the fact, right?!”

Since its inception in 2011, Long Division – which Under The Radar describe as “one of the best independent arts festivals in Europe“- has been headlined by an eclectic range of acts, including The Cribs; We Are Scientists; Billy Bragg; British Sea Power; The Fall; Asian Dub Foundation; The Wedding Present; and Gang Of Four. After the 2020 event was cancelled due to public health restrictions, festival supporters raised over £7000 to keep Long Division running.

The Futureheads will relish the opportunity to return to the live stage, having been forced to cancel their Spring touring commitments as part of a triple-bill with Reverend and the Makers and The Holloways. The Sunderland post-punk noiseniks, who produced two of the noughties’ most memorable indie disco numbers in Decent Days And Nights and Kate Bush cover Hounds of Love, are also set to headline the rescheduled Kubix Festival in their hometown on July 3rd. The band’s most recent release, 2019 LP Powers, was their first studio album in seven years.

We’re pleased to be heading to @Long_Division_ in September!
Tickets are on-sale now and available here: https://t.co/EneGYbv5CA pic.twitter.com/I9hlKPcuLl

— The Futureheads (@thefutureheads) March 11, 2021

Lancaster duo The Lovely Eggs will take their distinctive brand of garage rock across the Pennines to Long Division off the back of their well-received 2020 album I Am Moron. Louder Than War‘s Wayne Carey hailed the the record a ‘leap forward‘ for the band and a ‘punk thrill‘. Fellow Lancashire outfit Brix and the Extricated will also be hoping to debut material from their most recent album Super Blood Wolf Moon, released at the tail-end of 2019. The group were co-founded in 2014 by Brix Smith Start and Steve Hanley, both former members of The Fall.

Essex singer-songwriter James McAllister (aka) Beans on Toast will bring his unique folk stylings to Long Division. The Braintree troubadour was busy in action in 2020, remarkably releasing two studio albums on December 1st, as well as releasing four new singles focused on the Covid-19 pandemic: Strange Days, Human Contact, Chessington World Of Adventures and Glastonbury Weekend.

Also confirmed for Long Division are beatbox specialist Darren Foreman (aka Beardyman); Merseyside pop-rockers She Drew The Gun; Newcastle five-piece Lanterns on the Lake; London rap duo Too Many T’s; Idlewild frontman Roddy Woomble; Barnsley grunge rockers Hands Off Gretel; Hull folk musician Katie Spencer; Teesside singer-songwriter Jodie Nicholson; Hartlepool up-and-comers Mt Misery; feminist punk trio Big Joanie; Brighton indie poppers Peggy Sue; Bristolian ‘country punks’ Langkamer;

A statement released on Reverend and the Makers’ social media channels today said “Sorry to announce that the Propaganda Tour has unfortunately had to be cancelled due to Covid. We were really looking forward to getting back out on the road, but we’re sure we’ll be able to bounce with you all again before too long.”

A similar statement appeared on The Futureheads’ Twitter feed, with the band saying of the cancellation: “This is as frustrating for us as it will be for those of you with tickets – refunds are available at the point of purchase. We will be back somewhere, somehow in 2021, mark our words!”

pic.twitter.com/jj5Rmyi99d

— The Futureheads (@thefutureheads) December 3, 2020

The Futureheads burst onto the scene in the mid-noughties with a sound that fused Wearside passion with an New York art-rock feel.  They would go on to produce two of that decade’s most memorable indie disco numbers in the energetic call-and-response slammer Decent Days And Nights, and their superb cover of the Kate Bush classic Hounds of Love.

Their sixth and latest album, 2019’s Powers, was their first after a seven-year hiatus. The record was warmly received by critics, with The Guardian labelling it “a welcome return for a singular and important band.”

As has been the case for so many acts, The Futureheads’ year has been marred by the regular need to reschedule or postpone live commitments. The Sunderland outfit will hope for better times ahead in 2021, when they are due to appear at the rescheduled Kubix Festival in their home city’s Herrington Park. The July 3rd extravaganza will also include sets from folk-rockers The Levellers, Belfast punk veterans Stiff Little Fingers, and Bradford’s New Model Army amongst others.

Pleased to be playing the rescheduled @Kubix_Festival in our own back yard next July!
Tickets available at https://t.co/uuAj6sEey9 pic.twitter.com/HfjqRI6DP4

— The Futureheads (@thefutureheads) September 1, 2020

Members of Reverend and the Makers, who released their Best Of album last year, have also been keeping busy through the tedium and frustration of 2020. Frontman John McClure delighted fans in lockdown with two socially-distant family collaborations earlier this year. In April the singer teamed up with his mother Cheryl for a sassy, Yorkshire twist on Amy Winehouse’s You Know I’m No Good before joining forces with his cousin Lauren – an NHS worker – for a moving rendition of the Bob Dylan/Adele favourite Make You Feel My Love.

Meanwhile the Sheffield band’s guitarist Ed Cosens has been at work on his debut solo album Fortunes Favour, which is due to hit shelves in January. In a recent interview with The Star newspaper, he spoke about how his (and the group’s) Steel City roots remained an important artistic influence.

Cosens said “I am Sheffield born and bred and the vibe of the city plays a big part in music for all of us in the band and our generation growing up, with the history with the electronic of the 80’s, and the rich musical history, and the mid-noughties was an amazing time to be about. I think Sheffield, and the make up of the city, with the Peak District on its doorstep, is an inspiring place to be. You draw on that and the whole Mesters thing, with the Steel industry, these guys doing their thing and coming together to make a whole industry, that is what Sheffield is like.”

The latest single from Cosens’ upcoming album, the sweetly melodic The River, is out now. A new video for the song premieres on YouTube this evening.

We’re delighted to welcome @thefutureheads to Handmade 2019. Get your tickets to see them and 40+ other acts across Leicester on 5th May from https://t.co/boLhXh5jSjpic.twitter.com/qvIfdGMPLV

— Handmade Festival (@HandmadeTotally) January 30, 2019

Earlier this month Sunderland rockers The Futureheads announced they would be returning to touring this year. In a full statement the band said “The Futureheads breathe frantically once more. After our a cappella album ‘Rant!’ strapping the electric guitars back on seemed suddenly so alien. A hiatus was needed – around 2000 days it seems… Over the past 12 months we’ve been chipping away at recording a new album, which is almost ready for release. We’re also looking forward to playing some live shows this year”. The band also released this trailer video, teasing fans.

The Futureheads will be joined at Handmade Festival by over 40 different artists. Including 2011 Mercury Prize nominees Metronomy, Electronic Afro-Funk band Ibibio Sound Machine and Brighton Rockers Black Honey. Alongside a range of poets and artists across the city. The Festival is now in it’s 7th year and previous headliners have included Circa Waves, Twin Atlantic and Slaves.

Jamie Lenman, Martha, Blood Youth, Can’t Swim, Decade, Dream State, itoldyouiwouldeatyou, Fresh, Doe, Orchards, Estrons, Superlove, Frauds, JOHN, LIFE, Parting Gift, Petrol Girls, Yr Poetry are just some of the names to be announced for Leicester’s @HandmadeTotally Festival. pic.twitter.com/dJL30IrEU4

— Already Heard (@AlreadyHeardUK) January 29, 2019

Handmade aims to combine music, art, comedy, film and photography to transform the city of Leicester. Tickets are available now for £38.50 for adults, £22 for children and £30.25 for students. The festival will be hosted in The Attenborough Arts Centre, The Cookie, Dryden Street Social, Firebug (Upstairs & Downstairs), O2 Academy Leicester 1 & 2, The Shed, The Soundhouse & The Y, across Leicester. 

We’ve updated our youtube playlist to reflect many of the bands we added today! Dig in and check out whats on offer and then pick up tickets if you haven’t already! https://t.co/dyYzXRDSkW Tickets: https://t.co/boLhXh5jSj — Handmade Festival (@HandmadeTotally) January 29, 2019

News of new material from The Futureheads, the first since 2012’s ‘Rant!’ has sent fans (and fellow bands) into hysterics. The band have amassed a huge following through their five studio albums, anthemic singles and incredible live shows. Their debut album, titled “The Futureheads” (2004) reached number 11 the UK album charts, and their cover of “The Hounds Of Love” as become almost as symbolic as the Kate Bush original. Expect to hear “Wo Ho Ho Ho Ho” bellowed out across festivals and venues all summer.

Yes yes yes awesome news that @thefutureheads are back!!! — Little Comets (@littlecomets) January 23, 2019

The Futureheads!!! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS you beauties. @thefutureheads — Andrew Willis (@andrewwillis87) January 23, 2019

Excellent news: @thefutureheads are back back back — Fleece (@iamfleece) January 23, 2019

Futureheads 2019 Tour Dates: