While he zips round the world with Tired Pony, guitarist Nathan Connolly debuted his Little Matador outfit yesterday in Bangor’s wonderfully named Goat’s Toe pub.

They now move on to the Spirit Store, Dundalk (19); Belsonic with Nine Inch Nails & And So I Watch You From Afar (21) and Whelan’s, Dublin (25) where admission is an extremely good value free.

Displaying, as they put it, “a healthy respect for noise”, the ranks also include Gavin Fox, Paul ‘Binzer’ Brennan, Troy Stewart and Dave Magee whose combined CV includes Idlewild, Turn, Concerto For Constantine, Wilt, The Frames, Gemma Hayes, Bell X1, The Windsor Player, the aforementioned Tired Pony and LaFaro.

There’s an album, which took five weeks to assemble in London and LA, in the can and plans for as much gigging as is humanly possible.

On a sad note, keyboard-player Tom Simpson has officially departed Snow Patrol following their mega Vital gig at the weekend in Belfast.
A fine DJ who’s been responsible for the band’s occasional forays into dance, he’s been part of the set-up since 1996 and will be much missed.