With the release of their much anticipated second album 'Helplessness Blues' coming up on April 29th, Fleet Foxes have just been announced for a "very special open-air mid-summer event" in Belfast this June. The Seattle alt-folksters will play the city's Custom House Square on June 25th as part of the Open House Festival, which has been moved up in the calendar from September, when it took place last year. Tickets priced £38.50 go on sale this Friday February 18th, while support details will be announced shortly.

Meanwhile, another band winging their way to Belfast are Glasgow indie types Glasvegas, who play Mandela Hall on Wednesday April 27th in support of their new album 'EUPHORIC///HEARTBREAK', set to hit shelves in time for April Fool's Day. They will also play The Academy in Dublin the following night, Thursday April 28th. Tickets priced £16 and €23 respectively go on sale this Friday February 18th at 9am.

Finally, the Manic Street Preachers have lined up a Dublin date, hitting the Olympia Theatre on May 16th. The veteran Welsh rockers have a new single on the way next Friday February 25th, the title track from their latest album 'Postcards From A Youth Man'. Tickets go on sale Friday.
 

**Updated**

Fleet Foxes have just announced that they will also visit Cork while in Ireland this June, taking the headlining slot at this year's Harmonic gig at the Live at the Marquee festival on June 26th. Special guests have still to be announced, but bearing in mind that last year's Harmonic show at the festival featured Grizzly Bear, Midlake, Camera Obscura and Villagers, we're pretty excited to find out whose on the bill. We're also pretty excited to find out where and when Fleet Foxes will play Dublin as a date in the capital must be on the cards.