For his first live dates since a series of trouble-prone 2009 outings, Morrissey will return to the stage this summer with a nine-date U.K. tour leading up to a slot headlining the Hop Farm Music Festival alongside such icons as Lou Reed, Iggy & The Stooges and Patti Smith.

Having spent much of last year touring ‘Unknown Pleasures,’ bassist Peter Hook will continue to relive his Joy Division days in 2011, performing the band’s second album — 1980’s ‘Closer’ — in May and releasing an EP of new recordings of four Joy Division songs — including one that’s never been released.

Reunited synthpop group Blancmange returns this week with ‘Blanc Burn’ — its fourth album, and first in more than a quarter century — as well as an eight-date U.K. tour, although ailing co-founder Stephen Luscombe has been advised by doctors to skip the trek.

To help promote ‘Riot Now!,’ the upcoming 10th studio album from Chicago’s Eleventh Dream Day, indie mainstay Thrill Jockey Records is offering up a free download of the track ‘Satellite.’

Promising ‘a larger tour later in the year,’ Duran Duran today began rolling out a series of North American club and theater dates throughout April on either side of its appearance at Coachella — with additional shows still to be announced.

With a new multi-disc box set of live and studio rarities due this spring, Karl Wallinger will kick off World Party’s 25th anniversary year with five concerts at South By Southwest and in New York City in March — a prelude for the band’s ‘most extensive U.S. tour since 2006.’

Duran Duran finally will issue its new album ‘All You Need Is Now’ in physical formats — CD, vinyl and a CD/DVD “Deluxe Edition’ package — on March 22 in North America, with up to six new songs added to the original nine-song tracklist, depending on which format you buy.