Saturday, May 5th
Vinyl
Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin; runs until Monday, May 7th; one day from €49.50, three days from €119; vinyl-dublin.com
Unique stuff rarely pops up, but Vinyl, a three-day festival devoted to the vinyl album, its legacy and its representation in popular culture, is exactly that. Expect fascinating talks, panel discussions, interviews and curated collections alongside the music. Participants include Chrissie Hynde, Bob Geldof, Tracey Thorn, Snow Patrol, Peggy Seeger, Billy Bragg, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Tim Burgess and Shane MacGowan. Interviewers include Sharon Horgan and Cillian Murphy. Tony Clayton-Lea
MK
3Arena, Dublin; 6.30pm; €49.50; ticketmaster.ie
Since September MK's 17 has cut a nice groove for itself on the airwaves and in the Irish charts. The house track, which uses the gospel-styled vocals of Carla Monroe, has catapulted the American DJ Marc Kinchen to global success. He's bringing his event brand, Area10, to 3Arena, along with the DJs Jax Jones, Lee Foss and KC Lights, for a night of chart-ready dance music. Louise Bruton
Peter Perrett
Black Box, Belfast; 8pm; £15; blackboxbelfast.com
The UK postpunk band The Only Ones were enmeshed in something akin to a mythic trap, as was their former lead singer, Peter Perrett, whose life reads like a how-not-to guide to excess. At least you couldn't accuse the band, and Perrett, of regrouping to play all the hits, primarily because they didn't have any unless you count the top-50 placing of Another Girl, Another Planet in 1992, 14 years after its original release. That terrific song is what Perrett is best known for, yet last year's much-delayed solo album, How the West Was Won, is a triumph of sorts, not only of survival against the odds but also for a batch of songs that easily match the druggy, weirded-out punk rock of his former band. As part of Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival. TCL
Jeffrey Lewis
Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny, Co Donegal; 8pm; €10; regionalculturalcentre.com; also Sunday, 1.30pm, Black Box, Belfast, £10, blackboxbelfast.com; Monday, 8pm, Bru House, Newbridge, Co Kildare, €10; Tuesday, 8pm, The Salty Dog, Drogheda, Co Louth, €10; Wednesday, 9pm, Monroe's Bar, Galway, €12, monroes.ie; Thursday, 8pm, The Greyhound, Kilkee, Co Clare, €10; Friday, 8pm, Levi's Corner House, Ballydehob, Co Cork, €10, leviscornerhouse.com
This is an extremely rare opportunity to see one of the best "anti-folk" songwriters of the past 20 years. The New Yorker is a maverick whose delivers his witty lyrics with an art-brut sensibility. He is also a fine graphic artist and comic book designer and writer. An all-rounder visiting some of Ireland's most compact venues? You're there, aren't you? TCL
Sunday, May 6th
Spies
Upstairs in Whelan's, Dublin; 8pm; €12; whelanslive.com
It's two years since we last heard a peep from the Dublin band Spies. They're making their grand return with this intimate gig – which is perhaps a little too intimate, as it sold out far too quickly. If you bagged yourself a ticket you'll see the lads get back into the swing of things and hear their new electronic sound, something they've already teased with their bitingly droll new single, Young Dad. It's good to have yiz back. LB
Wye Oak
Whelan's, Dublin; 8pm; €16; whelanslive.com
Wye Oak, the indie-pop-rock duo from Baltimore, have had a decent year, partly thanks to the dreamy and emotive soundscape that The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs, their sixth studio album, creates. Support on the night is from the Belfast-based performer Katharine Philippa, whose sensitive songwriting style will make any room stand still. Check out her TEDxStormont talk from 2014 on YouTube to get to grips with one of our most engaging and intuitive creators. LB
Donal Dineen
The Bernard Shaw, Dublin; 8pm; free; thebernardshaw.com
On the sacred Sunday of the May bank holiday there are worse ways to tend to your weary body and throbbing head than a Donal Dineen DJ set. As someone who lives and breathes music of almost every genre, the host of the alternative music show This Ain't No Disco (previously known as RTÉ's No Disco, and now a web series) will know exactly how to make sure you get the most out of your three-day weekend. LB
Monday, May 7th
Gary Barlow
Waterfront Hall, Belfast; 8pm; £70; waterfront.co.uk; also Tuesday, 8pm, same venue; Thursday and Friday, 8pm, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin, €80.50/€60.50/€46 (sold out), bordgaisenergytheatre.ie; Saturday, May 12th, 7.30pm, Irish National Event Centre, Killarney, Co Kerry, €79.50/€45 (VIP package €189.50), inec.ie
Gary Barlow is walking, talking song machine – and a hit-song machine, too. With Take That on yet another sabbatical, Barlow does what he does best: entertain fervently loyal fans with solo hits and a bunch of carefully chosen Take That smashes. These solo shows take place in much smaller venues than Barlow would usually play, yet he manages to bring similar levels of feelgood atmosphere with him. The fans are on his side, of course, so you can expect these shows to be Take That-style epiphanies for all concerned. TCL
Tuesday, May 8th
Ray Lamontagne
Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin; 8pm; €60.50; bordgaisenergytheatre.ie; also Wednesday, same venue
The quietly spoken New Hampshire singer-songwriter has been chipping away at the music-industry coalface for almost 20 years. Now able to comfortably fill two nights at venues such as this, Ray Lamontagne has fashioned his early influences (The Band, Van Morrison, Tim Buckley) into a contemporary folk music that runs riot up and down the emotional spectrum. If you like ruminative, plaintive tunes delivered by an introspective, somewhat intense individual, then make a beeline to these shows. Special guest on both nights is Freya Ridings, who headlines at Whelan's in Dublin on Thursday (see below). TCL
Wednesday, May 9th
Bedouine
Whelan's, Dublin; 8pm; €15; whelanslive.com; also Thursday, 8pm, McHugh's, Belfast, £8, cqaf.com
The Armenian songwriter Azniv Korkejian has lived a conflicted life. Born in Aleppo, in Syria, over 30 years ago, she moved with her family to the United States, travelling from Boston to Houston to Los Angeles. It was in the latter city that Korkejian drifted into music, initially as a Hollywood-based movie music editor (her first feature was last year's critically lauded The Big Sick) and then as a musician. Taking inspiration from classic songwriters such as Nick Drake, Townes Van Zandt and Carole King ("I'm a sucker for the understated," she told thefader.com last year), the woman whose moniker references her nomadic background is a must-see. TCL
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
SSE Arena, Belfast; 6.30pm; £33/£30; ssearenabelfast.com; also Thursday, 8pm, 3Arena, Dublin, €65.50/€55.50/€44.50; ticketmaster.ie
It's a pity that Noel Gallagher's sharp wit and humour are rarely heard in his often overly obvious music. His latest album, Who Built the Moon?, may feature less constrictive styles and blends such as dance-rock, glam rock and ambient electronica (thanks in no small part to his producer David Holmes), but there remains at the heart of Gallagher's music a conservatism impossible to ignore. Unlike his younger brother, Liam, however, at least he isn't willing to wallow in nostalgia for the days when Oasis ruled the roost. Perhaps we should be thankful for such small mercies. TCL
Thursday, May 10th
NF
The Academy, Dublin; €19.90; ticketmaster.ie
Listening to NF, you'd be forgiven for experiencing a case of deja vu. A young, angry white rapper from Michigan, this 27-year-old is following in the footsteps of Eminem – but instead of using cartoonish violence and misogyny he works through his misery with humility and grace. LB
Freya Ridings
Upstairs in Whelan's, Dublin; €12 (sold out); whelanslive.com
The 23-year-old singer and pianist Freya Ridings has a voice that sounds as if it has experienced a thousand lifetimes. The Londoner's soulful voice will awaken feelings in you that you didn't even know you had. With two live albums available to lose yourself in on Spotify – Live at Omeara and Live at St Pancras Church – Ridings is one to keep an eye on. LB
Friday, May 11th
Snow Patrol
Millennium Forum, Derry; 8pm; £56.50; millenniumforum.co.uk
Gearing up for their first Irish tour in well over a decade, Snow Patrol plug their forthcoming album, Wildness, with a batch of shows so intimate you're bound to see the whites of Gary Lightbody's eyes. Expect a run-through of at least half a dozen new tracks, as well as a selection of their better-known material. The tour continues in Cork (Opera House, Saturday, May 12th), Killarney, Co Kerry (INEC, Monday, May 14th), Dublin (Olympia Theatre, Tuesday, May 15th), Wexford (Opera House, Wednesday, May 16th), Galway (Leisureland, Friday, May 18th) and Belfast (Ulster Hall, Sunday, May 20th). TCL
M Ward
Whelan's, Dublin; 7.30pm; €23.90; whelanslive.com
Some things never change, apparently: Matthew Ward demos all of his songs on the same four-track analogue recorder he has used since he was 15, almost 30 years ago. After growing up in Portland, Oregon, as a committed Beatles fan, he has, as a solo act, moved from pop towards folk, roots and blues. He isn't averse to reconnecting to his early days as a pop songwriter, though, as proven by his creative partnership with Zooey Deschanel, in She & Him, and the folk-rock group Monsters of Folk. He's a rare visitor to Ireland, so try to catch him in Dublin tonight, or in Limerick (Dolan's, Saturday, May 12th) or Galway (Róisín Dubh, Sunday, May 13th) over the weekend. TCL
