TASH SULTANA – July 4th
Why should I bother? If you want to see the Current Big Thing in Australian music, Tash Sultana is it. The gender-fluid one-person band uses a loop station and a wide palette of sounds to create epic psych-rock songs.
Fun fact: The disgustingly talented 23-year-old began playing guitar at the age of three, and can now master 20 instruments.
DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES – July 5th
Why should I bother? Because you can't beat hearing classic pop songs like Maneater, I Can't Go for That (No Can Do) and Private Eyes in a beautiful park on a summer's evening in Dublin.
Fun fact: Hall & Oates are officially the biggest-selling musical duo of all time, shifting an estimated 40 million records since forming in 1970.
DAMIEN DEMPSEY – July 6th
Why should I bother? A Damien Dempsey gig is musical therapy for the soul. The atmosphere is always crackling with good vibes and the rousing singalongs are bounteous. What's not to like?
Fun fact: In 2014, the Dubliner saved two young men from drowning in the River Slaney before his gig in Wexford. All in a day's work.
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2FM LIVE: JENNY GREENE AND THE RTÉ SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA – July 7th
Why should I bother? There's no doubt that this gig appeals largely to music fans of a certain vintage – but if you're a fan of classic dance anthems from the 1990s and 2000s being given the orchestral treatment, you can't go wrong.
Fun fact: 2FM DJ Greene got her first set of decks when she was 12 and began DJing in Dublin's Palace nightclub at just 15. Different times, folks.
IDLES – July 11th
Why should I bother? Because in the two short years since releasing their debut album, this Bristol punk band have restored peoples' faith in music and become one of the most impressive live acts on the music scene. Prepare for moshing, bare-chested crowd surfing and general rambunctiousness – and that's just from lead singer Joe Talbot.
Fun fact: The band wrote pro-immigration song Danny Nedelko about their Ukrainian friend, who also features in the accompanying video (which you should really watch).
VILLAGERS – July 12th
Why should I bother? Well, Conor O'Brien cemented his position as one of the best songwriters Ireland has ever produced with last year's The Art of Pretending to Swim. Villagers gigs are usually swoonsome affairs, but those new songs ought to really add dynamic to their setlist. There may even be an opportunity to – gasp – dance (or at least sway briskly).
Fun fact: That's Conor O'Brien's voice you hear singing at the end of season one of hit TV show Big Little Lies; actor Adam Scott lip-synched to his cover of The Wonder of You, after the show's director called him and said he was a fan.
ASLAN – July 13th
Why should I bother? The Dublin rock stalwarts are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their Goodbye Charlie Moonhead album, the record that spawned their biggest hit Crazy World. There'll be plenty of hits from other albums in the mix, too.
Fun fact: Before they were called Aslan, they were known as Meelah XXVII (derived from Leon Uris' Second World War novel, Mila 18).
MAC DeMARCO – July 14th
Why should I bother? The man who made it okay for millennial hipsters to wear dungarees has a peculiar charm. If psychedelic indie/slacker rock (or as he calls it himself, 'jizz jazz') is your bag, the Canadian has six albums' worth of the stuff.
Fun fact: Before he made it as a musician, DeMarco earned money by participating in medical experiments conducted by college students in Montreal. He also worked on a road-paving crew, but left because his colleagues constantly "made fun" of him.
GARBAGE – July 18th
Why should I bother? Perhaps Shirley Manson is your rock idol, or maybe you just admire one or two of their bigger hits. Either way, Garbage are the sort of band you like more than you think you do – and they're great live, too.
Fun fact: The first (and only) album by Angelfish, Manson's band before joining Garbage, was produced by Talking Heads' Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz in 1994.
THE ACADEMIC – July 19th
Why should I bother? Do you like perky indiepop songs? Do you have a radio? If so, it's very likely that you're already familiar with this Westmeath band's oeuvre. They've got melody, charm and catchy tunes by the bucketload.
Fun fact: Early incarnations of the band included 'The Assassins', 'Civil Indian' and 'The Frescoes'. Suddenly The Academic doesn't sound too bad, as band names go . . .
BURT BACHARACH – July 20th
Why should I bother? Because he is a bona fide songwriting legend, and let's be honest: at the age of 91, you may not have too many more chances to see him in the flesh.
Fun fact: Bacharach's big break was as the musical director for Marlene Dietrich in the late 1950s and early 1960s; he left that role to pursue songwriting full-time. In her autobiography, Dietrich described her time with him as "seventh heaven".
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