Largely sidelined by the 2001 suicide of frontman Stuart Adamson, Scottish New Wave rockers Big Country — immortalized by their iconic hit ‘In a Big Country’ — have drafted Mike Peters of The Alarm to take over as lead singer for a series of 30th anniversary concerts beginning New Years Eve.

Gang of Four this week announced it will release ‘Content’ — its first all-new studio album in more than 15 years — early next year on CD, vinyl and as part of an ‘Ultimate Content Can’ that includes lyrics, artwork, a scratch-and-sniff booklet and ‘vials of band members’ blood.’

The release of ‘Reconnected Live’ — the 2CD, 20-track document of 2008’s Yazoo/Yaz reunion tour — is still a couple weeks off, but Mute Records has posted this four-song sampler to whet the appetites of fans of the Vince Clarke/Alison Moyet project.

Modern English embarks on a second round of North American dates this weekend in support of its just-released ‘Blister EP,’ a download-only release featuring the title track, off this year’s ‘Soundtrack,’ plus a non-album cut and two demos.

Dinosaur Jr will perform its third album — 1988’s ‘Bug,’ featuring the band’s break-out single ‘Freak Scene’ — in its entirety next summer at a Don’t Look Back concert in London headlined by The Flaming Lips, who will perform their 1999 classic ‘The Soft Bulletin.’

Former Bauhaus vocalist Peter Murphy today announced that he’s reuniting later this year with ailing ex-Japan bassist Mick Karn to record a second Dali’s Car album — the short-lived group’s first new record since 1984’s ‘The Waking Hour.’

A day after Vince Clarke tweeted he is collaborating with former bandmate Martin Gore on a new song, a cryptic video surfaced that appears to announce Gore will join ex-DM member Alan Wilder at the latter’s Recoil event on Oct. 24 in Santa Ana, Calif.