Long rumored to be making a return to the live arena following last year’s extensive reissue campaign, The Jesus and Mary Chain is set to play its first concerts in four years next month with a short run of U.S. dates that includes stops at the 35 Denton festival in Denton, Texas, and South By Southwest.

Flipper is revving back into service this year, with a handful of U.S. dates announced in the coming months along with plans to perform at the South By Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas, this spring followed by a tour of the U.K. and dates in continental Europe in April.

Thomas Dolby will embark on a 24-date North American tour this spring with his Time Capsule in tow: a chrome- and brass-plated road trailer that ‘resembles a Jules Verne/HG Wells-inspired time-travel machine’ outfitted with a video studio so fans can upload ‘a personal video message to the future.’

Last March while in Austin, Texas, for the South By Southwest music festival, former Orange Juice frontman Edwyn Collins popped into Big Orange Recording to knock out a five-song live session for Daytrotter — which was posted Monday and is available as a free download.

Seattle radio station KEXP (90.3 FM) filmed Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark playing a set last month during SXSW at Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop in Austin. Here’s ‘If You Leave’ and ‘Sister Marie Says.’

A couple days before making headlines at South By Southwest by declaring America and its music “exhausted,” former Boomtown Rats leader Bob Geldof dropped by ‘The Late Show with David Letterman’ to promote his new album ‘How to Compose Popular Songs That Will Sell.’

With the long-awaited ‘Upside Down: The Creation Records Story’ making its North American debut last night at South By Southwest, the documentary’s makers have issued a new trailer for the film — now set for DVD/Blu-ray release in the U.K. on May 9.

Slicing Up Eyeballs caught up with the Dream Syndicate’s Steve Wynn last week as he was rehearsing with The Baseball Project for a tour that hits both South By Southwest — for a marathon 14 gigs — and a series of spring training ballgames.

Citing an ‘unforeseen illness,’ the Karl Wallinger-led World Party today canceled a string of upcoming concerts in New York City and at South By Southwest in Austin, Texas — but promised to ‘return this summer for a whole tour of the U.S.A.’

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.

Now less than a month away, the schedule for the South By Southwest music festival is starting to solidify, with a host of ’80s college rock vets slated to make appearances in Austin, Texas, next month — including Duran Duran, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Edwyn Collins, World Party, J Mascis and more.

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.’