The Specials have begun announcing dates for the first leg of this year’s North American tour, confirming shows via their Twitter account in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco on either side of the band’s planned performances at the South By Southwest festival in March.

The Specials finally are making good on a promise to tour the U.S., today announcing they’ll play two dates at the South By Southwest festival in March as part of the first leg of a larger North American visit — but the shows will not feature co-vocalist Neville Staple, who is leaving the band due to “ill health.”

Karl Wallinger apparently is making good on his promise in March 2011 to mount “a whole tour of the U.S.A.” — albeit more than a year behind schedule — with this week’s announcement that World Party will tour America this September, with initial dates in Nashville, Tenn., and New York City already unveiled.

The Jesus and Mary Chain’s touring schedule now includes shows in early August, as the Osheaga Music Festival this morning announced the group will play there, and the band itself posted new dates in Buffalo, N.Y., Toronto and Washington, D.C. on its website — and then removed them.

The Jesus and Mary Chain’s brief run through Texas last month appears to be the beginning of an active 2012: In addition to today’s announcement of the band’s first-ever concert in China, the brothers Reid also will come back to the U.S. for a string of new dates in both June and September.

The Wedding Present is just about finished with its North American ‘Seamonsters’ tour, but you can now watch a full performance from the beginning of the trek, thanks to Seattle radio station KEXP, which filmed this 30-minute set at Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop in Austin, Texas, during South By Southwest.

The complete studio output of Bob Mould’s acclaimed post-Hüsker Dü trio Sugar — 1992’s landmark ‘Copper Blue,’ the 1993 companion EP ‘Beaster’ and 1994 sophomore album ‘File Under: Easy Listening’ — will be reissued in the U.K. later this spring in expanded multi-disc CD/DVD editions.