Named after the hero of comic strips Dev Hynes used to doodle in his maths book as a youngling, Lightspeed Champion is a pursuit that ever more frequently appears to be a defiant retreat into a more sincere and naïve time. Green Day and Weezer covers, a strummed acoustic guitar, untreated enthusiasm - all things that the ironic and sporadically brilliant Test Icicles would put, you’d suspect, in the ‘dislikes’ column. Now that schoolkid past of comic books is uncovered as Hynes chats for a while on his love for the mags of modern myth.

First, though – more business, tour dates and single releases unravelling into the future. Live shows you’ll find below, while ‘Galaxy of the Lost’, which features Emmy the Great on backing vocals, will be released on the 14th of April.

Spring 2008:

April
25 Luton Charlie Brown's
26 Bristol Carling Academy
27 Exeter Phoenix
28 Falmouth MI Bar
30 Leicester Charlotte

May
1 Birmingham Academy 2
2 Glasgow Classic Grand
3 Sheffield Leadmill
5 Manchester Academy 2
6 London Koko
7 Cardiff Point
9 Dublin Trinity Ball
10 Belfast Limelight
12 Swindon 12 Bar
25 Lake District Forgotten Valley
25 Blackpool Football Club
26 Newcastle Evolution Festival
28 Liverpool Sound City
29 Bradford St Georges Hall