First up, Trustkill's finest hardcore-gothsters (next to 18 Visions of course) BLEEDING THROUGH started a jaunt with Sweden's iciest post-noise experimentalists CULT OF LUNA yesterday. The remaining dates are;

12.02.2005 Preston The Mill
13.02.2005 Aberdeen Moshulu
14.02.2005 Glasgow King Tuts
15.02.2005 Manchester Jillys Rockworld
16.02.2005 Norwich The Ferry Boat Inn
17.02.2005 Newport TJ´s

Go here and here for MP3s.

Turbo-charged death'n'roll troupe CURSED will also be over towards the end of the month. Like a perfect marriage of Entombed, Discharge and Motorhead the Canadians are the latest band on Jacob Bannon's Deathwish Records. Download their album here and prepare for a beating!

27.02.2005 UK Cardiff Dempseys Irish Bar
28.02.2005 UK Manchester Star and Garter
01.03.2005 UK Hull The new adelphi club
02.03.2005 UK Glasgow Barfly
03.03.2005 UK Leeds The Fenton
04.03.2005 UK Swindon The Vic
06.03.2005 UK London Underworld
07.03.2005 UK Brighton Freebutt

Back following their stadium support with Slipknot HATEBREED will be wowing audiences at the following dates:

05.03.2005 Leeds Cockpit
06.03.2005 Sheffield Corporation
07.03.2005 Glasgow Garage
08.03.2005 Newcastle Uni of Northumbria
09.03.2005 Manchester Academy II
10.03.2005 Dublin Whelans
11.03.2005 Cork Nancy Spains
13.03.2005 London Mean Fiddler
14.03.2005 Oxford Zodiac
15.03.2005 Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms

Disgustingly heavy metal-core maestros CONVERGE will also be tearing it up in support of their awesome-in-parts-but-still-kind-of-average album 'You Fail Me'. You can downland the MP3 and view the really-quite-amazing video for the track 'Black Cloud' here No Idea punks PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS support of course. No linkage to MP3s cos, well, they're not that good.

27.03.2005 UK Newport TJ´s
28.03.2005 UK Manchester Jillys Rockworld
29.03.2005 Scotland Glasgow Garage
30.03.2005 Irland Dublin Voodoo Lounge
31.03.2005 UK Leeds Cockpit
01.04.2005 UK London Mean Fiddler

Following hot on their heels will be German hardcore-metallers PAINT THE TOWN RED MP3s with UK labelmates AWOKEN and Czechs SOLID GROUND.

28.03.2005 UK London Barfly
29.03.2005 UK Leeds The Fenton
30.03.2005 UK Canterbury The Roundhouse
31.03.2005 UK Norwich The Ferry Boat

Vegan tykes UNDYING will be making a welcome return with their breakneck speed-metal - click here for some sandpaper-larynxed action - with Hungary's BRIDGE TO SOLACE in tow. They're pretty good too.

25.04.2005 UK Newport TJ's
26.04.2005 UK Leeds Joseph Well
27.04.2005 UK Glasgow Barfly
28.04.2005 UK Manchester Star and Garter
29.04.2005 UK London Underworld

Jade Tree's finest gruff-throated punks PAINT IT BLACK (MP3) will also be taking the stage with South Coast's finest PILGER.

20.06.2005 UK Norwich The Ferry Boat
21.06.2005 UK Hull tba
22.06.2005 UK Manchester Star and Garter
23.06.2005 UK Bristol The Croft
24.06.2005 UK London Underworld

Later in the year the legendary INSTED, who were a major staple on bills with the likes of Gorilla Biscuits, Bold and Uniform Choice in the late '80s and were at one point signed to Epitaph Records, will be reforming for a special one-off UK show. See what all the fuss is about here.

24.07.2005 UK London Underworld

And finally, the mecca for any self-respecting hardcore-punk fan, FuryFest, will be making a welcome return at Le Mans in France 24/25/26 June.

Although a short hop over the pond it's the closest we've got to the likes of Hellfest and Krazyfest, especially when the likes of NEUROSIS, Anti-Flag, Arch Enemy, Backfire, Behemoth, Cataract, Cephalic Carnage, Discipline, Enslaved, ENVY, Heaven Shall Burn, Immolation, In Flames, Integrity, 7 SECONDS, xMaroonx (Boo! Hiss!), Mayhem, Most Precious Blood, MURPHY'S LAW, Napalm Death, Paint It Black, Suicidal Tendencies, The Business, US Bombs and Walls Of Jericho have confirmed already! Hurrah!