Wavves surprised friend and foe alike with their first two albums ‘Wavves’ and ‘Wavvves’ which presented punk, surf pop and noise in a lo-fi style. The band (at the time, singer/guitarist Nathan Williams and drummer Ryan Ulsh) was immediately praised by the hip media and underground crowd. After a whole series of personal problems, we thought we’d heard the last of them. Until now. ‘King Of The Beach’ is Nathan Williams’ first foray into a real recording studio, under the wing of Dennis Herring (known for his work with Camper Van Beethoven and Modest Mouse). Williams has snared the former rhythm section of Jay Reatard who died earlier this year. On hearing the fun, infectious songs on ‘King Of The Beach’, Phoenix promptly invited Wavves along on tour.

Support-act will be noise-pop post-punk trio Ping Pong Tactics, who balance on the border between chaos and pop. Who feel very strongly about the DIY principle and previously released a limited edition cassette (each piece was unique) and an EP for which they screen-printed all the covers themselves. Cutting Edge already dubbed them Talent of the Week and told us that: ‘Ping Pong Tactics sound like the bastard child of Kim Deal and Frank Black gone wrong and now has to be kept quiet with a five euro guitar’.