Bloc Party sets album release date, tour

British band Bloc Party will release its sophomore album, A Weekend in the City, on February 6th, to be followed by a North American tour beginning on March 11th in Seattle, Washington. A special EP containing four remixes of the album's first single, "The Prayer," is available now at the iTunes store. The trek will feature support from a variety of acts on different dates, including Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. Tickets for the tour go on sale this Saturday (January 13th), with a fan club pre-sale already underway.

Selected independent music stores will be giving away a free, limited edition seven-inch single of "The Prayer," backed with an exclusive cut called "England," with the purchase of the new album.

A Weekend in the City is already receiving critical praise and follows up the band's 2005 debut, Silent Alarm.

Bloc Party vocalist Kele Okereke recently told England's Guardian newspaper that the new album delves into his life as a gay man, which he has declined to discuss previously.

Confirmed tour dates:
Mar 11 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Thr
Mar 12 - Vancouver, BC - Orpheum Thr
Mar 13 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
Mar 15 - Austin, TX - SXSW
Mar 17 - San Francisco, CA - Concourse Exhibition
Mar 19 - Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Thr
Mar 20 - Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Thr
Mar 23 - Chicago, IL - Congress Thr
Mar 24 - Detroit, MI - Royal Oak Thr
Mar 25 - Toronto, ONT - Kool Haus
Mar 27 - Montreal, ONT - Metropolis
Mar 28 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Thr
Mar 30 - New York, NY - United Palace Thr
Mar 31 - New York, NY - United Palace Thr