With its as-yet-untitled new record nearly complete, Duran Duran today announced its first South African concerts in 17 years, a five-date run in December that’s being billed as ‘the start of an enormous global campaign around the release of their next studio album.’

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.

The pioneering German avante-garde industrial act Einstürzende Neubauten will embark on a 30th anniversary tour of Europe and North America this fall, playing full-length concerts in each city it visits as well as presenting a second night of films, side projects and audience Q&As.

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.

Former Commotions leader Lloyd Cole next week will release his first full-band album in a decade, ‘Broken Record,’ a rootsy collection that’s preceded by first single ‘Writers Retreat!’ and its accompanying music video,

The Pogues today announced a ‘Farewell Christmas’ tour of the U.K. and Ireland this December, which band co-founder Peter ‘Spider’ Stacy declares will be ‘the last Christmas tour for the foreseeable future’ — although there’s disagreement even amongst the band about that.

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.