Along for the ride is Phoenix (appearing on all dates), Longview (March 21 to April 5), and Joy Zipper (April 5-22).

The group has been compared to the likes of Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Big Country, XTC, Talking Heads and other new wavers, but the quintet actually grew up on ’90s superstars like Nirvana and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Vocalist/guitarist Craig Macintosh and Gary Smith, bassist Lee Worrall, keyboardist/vocalist Ruth Quigley, and drummer Laurence Davey actually met each other while in high school, as the story goes. One rumor has it the name Dogs Die in Hot Cars was derived from a balloon helium-inhaling episode between the band members.

Another odd fact about the band is that while touring in support of their 2003 single “I Love You Because I Have To,” Macintosh was electrocuted during a gig at the Cotton Club in Dundee, Scotland. He luckily survived, suffering only burns on his hands.

In early 2004, Dogs Die in Hot Cars signed to V2 Records. The band released its full-length debut, Please Describe Yourself, last August.