Last we heard, Lady Gaga’s planned show in the Indonesian capital Jakarta next month was off, after she was refused a visa amid fears of mass protests against a performance that the Islamic Defenders’ Front has branded “satanic”.

But, while a spokesman for the country’s national police recently told Reuters that Gaga had been refused a visa to enter the country, it seems this may not be the case. Although the full scale stage show seen in other countries on the tour will definitely not happen there.

Posting on Twitter, Gaga said: “The Jakarta situation is twofold: Indonesian authorities demand I censor the show and religious extremist [groups] separately are threatening violence. If the show does go on as scheduled, I will perform the ‘Born This Way Ball’ alone”.

Post-punk femmes Savages have caused a right old internet fuss with news of their debut single, ‘Flying To Berlin/Husbands’, which they’ll self-release on 28 May via singer Jehnny Beth’s label Pop Noire.

You needn’t wait a week to hear B-side ‘Husbands’, because it’s available to preview via this Pitchfork Rising piece, as also includes an interview with the band.

Apparently (or at least, so says Pitchfork) Savages “thrive off of violence and twisted desire”. If you’d like to see that manifest live, you’ll have to be present at one or all of the band’s forthcoming shows. The first of those takes place at London’s Shacklewell Arms on 29 May.

FAO: People who’d like to see/hear vocal pop vocalist Jessie J without having to see/hear ‘The Voice’… guess what! Ms J has announced a fourteen date tour of arena-sized UK venues, and will thus be projecting her very own solo voice to all corners of the British Isles. That is all.

Tour dates:

26 Feb: Nottingham, Capital FM Arena
27 Feb: Brighton, Centre
1 Mar: Birmingham, LG Arena
2 Mar: Manchester, Arena
3 Mar: Sheffield, Motorpoint Arena
5 Mar: Liverpool, Echo Arena
6 Mar: Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena
7 Mar: Bournemouth, International Centre
9 Mar: London, O2 Arena
12 Mar: Newcastle, Metro Radio Arena
14 Mar: Glasgow, SECC
15 Mar: Aberdeen, AECC
17 Mar: Belfast, Odyssey Arena
18 Mar: Dublin, O2 Arena

Retro soul torch-bearer Michael Kiwanuka may have barely released an album, but such a minor detail won’t and hasn’t stopped him from announcing a headline date at London’s prestigious Royal Festival Hall. Oh no, not Kiwanuka.

The concert will take place on 5 Dec, thus falling just shy of six months since the initial issue of Kiwanuka’s debut LP, ‘Home Again’.

And here’s the video for his new single, ‘I’ll Get Along’, which is out next week:

Kurt Vile and his band The Violators are to limber up for their booking at the ATP festival’s winter edition with a headline date at The Forum in Kentish Town, London.

The band, who are still touring in prolonged honour of their fourth studio LP ‘Smoke Ring For My Halo’, will take live support from Lower Dens and Dark Dark Dark.

Vile et al will appear on 6 Dec, the eve of the aforementioned ATP festival, which is this year curated by The National and runs from 7-9 Dec.

Stalwart metalcore quartet Every Time I Die will mark the release of their new LP, ‘Ex Lives’, with a series of live dates, as have just been announced. Hardcore band Stray From The Path and Holy Roar signings Last Witness will open for the band on all dates, which will take place as listed:

24 October Southampton, The Brook
25 Oct: Bristol, The Fleece
26 Oct: Plymouth, White Rabbit
27 Oct: Brighton, The Haunt
28 Oct: Cardiff, Solus
29 Oct: London, Electric Ballroom
30 Oct: Wolverhampton, Slade Rooms
31 Oct: Manchester, Academy 2
1 Nov: Glasgow, Garage
2 Nov: Newcastle, Academy 2
3 Nov:  Leeds, Cockpit
4 Nov: Sheffield, Corporation

Cardiff alt-rock quartet Future Of The Left have given listeners a glimpse into their new album, ‘The Plot Against Common Sense’.

Described by its attached press release as “49.8 minutes of singing, shouting, slinking, smashing and (at times) sobbing”, the record will feature such titles as ‘Failed Olympic Bid’, ‘Robocop 4 – Fuck Off Robocop’ and urban riot commentary ‘City Of Exploded Children’, all of which sound incredible.

The band have also plotted a tour based on its 11 Jun release via Xtra Mile Recordings, with live dates as follows:

8 Jun: Nottingham, Bodega
9 Jun: Manchester, Deaf Institute
10 Jun: Newcastle, Academy 2
11 Jun: Glasgow, King Tut’s
13 Jun: Brighton, The Haunt
14 Jun: London, XOYO

Leonard Cohen will play two shows at the Hop Farm in Kent (also the home of June’s Hop Farm festival) in September, a second date having been announced this week after the huge demand for a first show. Cohen, who released his latest LP ‘Old Ideas’ to great acclaim earlier this year, will play to seated crowds on 8-9 Sep. Ticket prices (albeit for a 3 hour set) range from a modest £65 to a less modest £95.

Blinking a lot so as to hide the pound signs in his eyes, the event’s organiser Vince Power says: “The demand has been overwhelming and it’s fantastic to announce the extra date. These will be Leonard Cohen’s only UK dates this year and we’re over the moon he’s decided to play them here. It promises to be a fantastic weekend”.

Noise-pop producer and friend-to-Grimes Airwick Woodhead, alias Doldrums, has just made available a free download of ‘Jump Up’, as will be released on 4 Jun as part of his three part new single ‘Egypt’. Almost simultaneously he’s also gone and announced a headline date at achingly hip new Dalston venue Birthdays on 1 Jun, which will serve as a stretching exercise for slots at this year’s triumvirate Dot To Dot festivals.

Ash are to mark their 20th year as a band with a party at The Garage in London. Taking place on 17 Jun, the night will feature comedienne Josie Long as compere, plus a list of special still to be announced guest performers, one of whom may or may not be former Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherley, who briefly re-joined the band on tour last October to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their ‘Free All Angels’ album.

Tickets for the show are divided into various price bands, with premium VIP passes (pitched at a mere £80) granting extras like early entry, after show access and an additional set of Ash rarities.

Further details at www.ash-official.com

Alt popstar Charli XCX is releasing a new single entitled ‘You’re The One’ quite soon, on 30 Jul via Asylum Records, as it happens.

Apart from accompanying Coldplay and Santigold on their forthcoming North American tours, as well as appearing at a just announced headline show at London’s XOYO on 1 Aug, Charli is also running a new live initiative whereby she’ll play two further solo shows in as-yet undecided UK cities on 29 and 31 Jul.

Thanks to a joint venture with Detourjam – which does this sort of thing all the time – it’s up to you, the public, to decide which cities Charli visits. XCX fans must pledge a £7 ticket fee that’ll also register as a ‘vote’ for Charli to perform in their desired city. The first two cities to win 50 pledges or votes will guarantee a live cameo from Charli, and can “bask in the glory of knowing they are the biggest fans”.

Those living in or near one of the eligible sites (these being Glasgow, Manchester, Brighton, Leeds, Bristol and Birmingham), can make pledges at this URL here.

And here Charli is again, mingling with Ed Sheeran in her self-made SxSW tour diary:

Synth-pop-inclined and Warp-signed duo The Hundred In The Hands have shared details of several forthcoming shows, which will precede their appearances at all three editions of this year’s Dot To Dot festival. The band are also to release their much anticipated new LP, ‘Red Light’, on 11 Jun.

Tour dates:

29 May: London, Madame JoJo’s
31 May: London, Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
1 Jun: Cambridge, The Portland Arms

Danish dark-pop sorts Giana Factory have announced a headline date at Dalston destination The Nest to mark the release of their week-old debut album, ‘Save The Youth’.

Tickets for the show, which takes place on 25 May and features live guests Beaty Heart, Joakim and Alan Braxe, are available here.

Honoured with the PRS prize for the most festival appearances accrued in 2011, indie quintet Skinny Lister have announced that they’ll play four consecutive ‘pop-up’ shows at various East London vintage shops in a single afternoon. This very afternoon, in fact.

The band, who signed to Rob da Bank’s Sunday Best Recordings for the forthcoming release of their debut LP ‘Forge & Flagon’, will first visit the Brick Lane branch of Beyond Retro at 2pm. From there on they’ll visit Hunky Dory, Blitz and the Curtain Road-based Paper Dress within the space of two hours. Then they’ll probably have a nice nap.

Further details here.

Having tweeted at the beginning of the year that a Ben Folds Five reunion was guaranteed “fo sho”, Ben Folds has duly announced the group’s first UK tour since 1999.

Folds and bandmates Darren Jessee and Robert Sledge have been at work on a new studio LP, the first Folds record since ‘The Unauthorised Biography Of Reinhold Messner’, and are expected to release it before the year is out.

Tour dates:

23 Nov: Bristol, Academy
24 Nov: Nottingham Rock City
26 Nov: Dublin Vicar Street
29 Nov: Apollo Manchester
30 Nov: Glasgow Academy
1 Dec: Leeds, Academy
2 Dec: Birmingham, Academy
4 Dec: London, Brixton Academy

Biffy Clyro are to preview their tbc double album, ‘The Land At The End Of Our Toes/The Sand At The Core Of Our Bones’, during a one night excursion to the Oasis leisure centre in Swindon. And we’ve all been there and done that, right?

The band will visit the venue on 8 Jun, which also happens to be the eve of their headline set at Download fest.

And look, here they are now, making an in-studio racket that will presumably feature on those just mentioned dual LPs:

South East Englanders will be pleased to know that Grizzly Bear have announced two very ‘intimate’ live dates in Cambridge and Nottingham. Staged in preparation for the band’s festival season – which includes slots at End Of The Road and Electric Picnic – the shows will take place as here listed:

28 Aug: Cambridge, The Junction
29 Aug: Nottingham, The Albert Hall

After selling out a show at London’s Village Underground at record speed, The Walkmen have announced further live dates by way of a complement to their new album, ‘Heaven’, out via Bella Union on 4 Jun. Listen to the superlative ‘Heartbreaker’, as is taken from said LP, after scanning these listings:

27 Oct: Birmingham, Institute
28 Oct: Glasgow, ABC
29 Oct: Dublin, Vicar Street
30 Oct: Manchester, Ritz
1 Nov: London, Forum

Just booked to headline part of Summer Series at Somerset House (16 Jul), electronic pop maestro M83, aka Anthony Gonzalez, has extended his Great British live calendar at both ends in honour of current album ‘Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming’.

The extra dates are thus:
26 Jun: Belfast, Mandela Hall
27 Jun: Edinburgh, Picture House
8 Nov: London, Brixton Academy

There’s also a mystery trailer for imminent ‘Hurry Up’ single ‘Reunion’ to look at:

Swedish folk sisters First Aid Kit, who can next be glimpsed opening for Jack White during his dual London dates, have announced several solo dates all their own.

The duo will also release ‘Blue’, the new single taken from their sophomore LP ‘The Lion’s Roar’, via Wichita on 18 Jun.

Tour dates:

20 Nov: London, Shepherds Bush Empire
22 Nov: Manchester, Ritz
24 Nov: Glasgow, QMU
27 Nov: Bristol, Academy