On Tour: Swans, Girl Band, Big Daddy Kane, The Pharcyde, Television

Michael Gira's Swans bring their ear-splitting intensity back to the UK in May – they play Manchester Academy on 22 May, Glasgow's The Arches on 24 May, and Aberdeen's The Lemon Tree on 25 May, before heading off to ATP Iceland in July. Recently, Gira announced that Swans' new album To Be Kind would feature collaborations with St. Vincent, Cold Specks and Little Annie – they release the album on 13 May. Gira will also be playing a string of solo dates throughout Europe in March, although no UK dates are planned. 

Embarking on their biggest tour yet are Dublin post-punk-meets-techno combo Girl Band, whose shredded cover of Blawan's Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage brought them to the attention of the music blog hype machine in 2013. They recently unveiled a new track, Lawman, and a video for the track, and are working on their debut full-length album. They play Glasgow's Bloc on 4 June, Edinburgh's Electric Circus on 5 June, as well as dates in Leeds, London, Sheffield and elsewhere. 

The list of hip-hop royalty returning to the UK this year includes Big Daddy Kane, who last year took The Skinny through his essential tracks from the Juice Crew and Cold Chillin' Records – he comes back to Glasgow's O2 ABC on 5 May, one of only a handful of dates outside London. Also back for another dose of rap nostalgia are California crew The Pharcyde, celebrating two decades in the game. They will play their classic album Bizarre Ride II at the O2 ABC on 5 September.  

And finally, Tom Verlaine's seminal New York 70s outfit Television will return to the UK to play their classic album Marquee Moon in June - they hit the O2 ABC in Glasgow on 14 June, fresh from a slot at Spanish festival behemoth Optimus Primavera.