Finnish folk/vocal group Värttinä has a new website: http://www.varttina.com/
Norwegian industrial/metal act Red Harvest will enter Multimono Studio this coming June to record their next album.
Tobias Benstrup is offering up his entire album "Re-animate me" for free download in January: http://www.tonightrecords.com/fanclub/freeanimate.html
Swedish screamy hardcore act The Smackdown has posted two new songs for download on their website: http://www.the-smackdown.com/
The band's new album "Someone has to kill the headwriter" will be out in April on Goodfellow. Also, upcoming European tourdates:
01/18 - Casiopaia, Berlin (GER)
01/19 - Zoro, Leipzig (GER)
01/20 - MKNZ, Ilriska Bistrica (SLO)
01/21 - tba, Sladki Vrh (SLO)
01/22 - M.I.K.K., Murska Sobota (SLO)
01/23 - Shotoklub, Izola (SLO)
01/24 - Traffic, Rome (ITA)
01/25 - Capolinea - Baraonda, Faenza (ITA)
01/26 - Bunker, Bolzano (ITA)
01/27 - Triebwerk, Wiener Neustadt (AUS)
01/28 - ACT, Cakovec (CRO)
01/29 - Mochvara, Zagreb (CRO)
01/30 - Club Orlando, Dubrovnik (CRO)
01/31 - Süss fel nap, Budapest (HUN)
02/01 - Stadtwerkstatt, Linz (AUS)
02/02 - 7, Prague (CZ)
02/03 - tba, Poznan (POL)
02/04 - Zentrum, Schleswig (GER)
02/05 - The V.E.B, Lübeck (GER)
Updated tourdates for Swedish singer/songwriter Christian Kjellvander:
01/26 - Kulturkeller, Fulda (GER)
01/27 - Ville de Dudelang, Luxemburg (LX)
01/28 - Unperfekthaus, Essen (GER)
01/29 - Prime Club, Köln (GER)
01/30 - backstage, Munchen (GER)
01/31 - E-Werk, Erlangen (GER)
02/02 - Kaserne, Basel (SWI)
02/03 - Planet Music, Wien (SWI)
02/04 - El Lokal, Zürich (SWI)
02/05 - Rockhouse, Salzburg (AUS)
02/07 - Kulturinsel Halle Saale, Halle(GER)
02/08 - Gleis 22, Münster(GER)
02/09 - Quasimodo, Berlin(GER)
02/10 - Knust, Hamburg(GER)
02/12 - Forum, Bielefeld (GER)
His latest album "Faya" will getting a wider European release at the end of January. Look for UK dates this spring.
Finnish label Next Big Thing has announced the signing of ex-Killer vocalist Siiri Nordin. Look for a new single this spring with an album to follow sometime before summer.
Check out the results of the Gaffa reader's poll for the bests of 2005: http://gaffa.dk/nyheder/view.php/news_id=14726
Check out "Clarissa", the b-side to the new Housewife Lovers single "Pandavision": http://hwl.longingboy.com/clarissa.mp3
Khoma (nee Koma), the all-star band featuring members from Cult of Luna, The Perishers and Scared, has posted a new track ("Medea") from their upcoming Roadrunner debut album on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/khoma
Check out an mp3 from Swedish metalcore act Crang: http://www.crangband.com/prominant.mp3
Their debut album "Burden, the stone" was recently released via new label December Music.
Finnish hardcore act Morning After has broken up, but they recorded one last song and you can hear it here: http://www.fullhouserecords.com/fhr/media.php
The track can also be heard on the upcoming comp "Hometown Pride", to be released by Pekka Productions.
El Perro Del Mar will be opening for José González in the UK:
02/01 - Shephard's Bush Empire, London
02/02 - Academy 3, Manchester
02/03 - Oran Mor, Glasgow
02/04 - Liquid Room, Edinburgh
02/05 - Concorde, Brighton
David Fridlund has posted his cover of Nick Cave's "Into my arms" to his blog: http://davidfridlund.webblogg.se/050106123154_into_my_arms.html