It has been announced that pop-punkers The Hype Theory and ska-punk band New Riot are set to play a handful of co-headline gigs in June 2012.

Promoted by Big Cheese magazine and appropriately dubbed the ‘Big Cheese Tour’, there are seven confirmed dates in all:

14 June – Leicester Soundhouse
15 June – Sheffield Corporation
16 June – Bedford Esquires
17 June – York Stereo
18 June – Islington academy 2
20 June – Guildford Boileroom
21 June – Southampton Unit

The Hype Theory’s album ‘Glory Days’ was released on Small Town Records in October 2011.

In the lead up to their appearance at the Ghostfest featival, Australian hardcore band Villa Rise have announced a handful of other UK dates. The four dates are as a co-headline with metal band Echoes.

The confirmed dates are as follows:
Tue 26 Jun, Newcastle, Three Tuns
Wed 27 Jun, Manchester, Retro bar
Thu 28 Jun, Wordsley, The Crown
Fri 29 Jun, Stoke, Underground

Villa Rise will be appearing at Ghostfest on Sunday 1st July. To find out more about Ghostfest, click here.

As further promotion for the new Europe album ‘Bago of Bones’, vocalist Joey Tempest and guitarist John Norum engaged in a detailed chat with Barbara Caserta for Linea Rock. You can view the complete interview below.

A somewhat unprofessional and more flippant chat with Joey Tempest on BBC News can be seen here.

As part of Dean Delray’s ‘Let There Be Talk’ podcasts, Queens of the Stone Age man Nick Oliveri gave a forty-five minute interview and acoustic performance, which you can now see below.

Oliveri first came to fame as part of the legendary stoner rock band Kyuss, before achieving greater fame as part of Kyuss’s successor band Queens of the Stone Age (fronted by ex-Kyuss guitarist Josh Homme). He also fronts his own band, Mondo Generator.

[By clicking on the YouTube logo, you will be taken to a comedy YouTube channel which also features Delray’s podcast with Limp Bizkit‘s Wes Borland among other stand up clips].

Singer songwriter Joe Jackson has enlisted an impressive selection of guests for his upcoming new album.

Although best known to the general public as a figure from the new-wave scene of the late 70s, Jackson’s repertoire has often crossed musical boundaries from pop to jazz and classical piano. His new release ‘The Duke’ finds Jackson reinterpreting key works by jazz legend Duke Ellington.

Songs featured include ‘Mood Indigo’, ‘I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good)’ ‘It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)’. Jackson is said to have completely re-worked Ellington’s original arrangements.

To help him in his task, Jackson has some famous friends on board. Also appearing on the album are Steve Vai, Iggy Pop, Iranian singer Sussan Deyheim, Brizilian/Dutch band Zuco 103, members of The Roots and soul singer Sharon Jones. Helping Jackson are longtime musical collaborators Vinnie Zummo and Sue Hadjopolous.

‘The Duke’ is released on July 23rd on CD, vinyl and as a digital download.