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The Kooks 'Konk'-er America

British indie-pop-rockers The Kooks have assembled their biggest North American tour yet to back their forthcoming sophomore set, "Konk."

The band, which recently debuted new material at packed shows in Los Angeles, New York and Toronto, will sandwich its May/June North American run between tours of Europe. Stateside shows kick off May 18 in San Diego and wrap June 11 in New York City. The Kooks will also cross the border for gigs in Vancouver and Toronto. North American dates are listed below and those overseas can be found at the band's website.

Scheduled to hit US stores April 15, "Konk" follows The Kooks' 2006 debut, "Inside In/Inside Out," which sold some 2 million copies worldwide on the strength of modern rock hits including "Naive" and "She Moves in Her Own Way," according to a press release.

"Konk" was recorded late last year, primarily in Ray Davies' Konk Studios in north London. Guitarist Hugh Harris suggested the album title because, "I just started thinking how cool the studio is, and how much of a part of our sound it is," he said in a statement. The sessions reunited the group with producer Tony Hoffer (Beck/The Fratellis).

The album's lead single, "Always Where I Need to Be," is set for a late March release and a sample of the song is steaming at The Kooks' MySpace page.

The Kooks formed in 2003 as part of a school project and was snapped up by Virgin Records following a four-song debut at Brighton's Free Butt. The quartet's members, who are all of whom are in their early 20s, have since written literally hundreds of songs, according to their bio.