The 99 bands participating in this year’s Hard Working Class Heroes festival have been revealed.

As previously reported, the showcase festival (now in its seventh consecutive year) will take place in Dublin on October 16th, 17th and 18th.

Each act that applied to play at the festival had their music judged in a number of categories, including “songwriting ability”. Those who received the highest ratings will be playing one of the five venues in and around the Temple Bar area. Included on the line-up are acts such as Subplots, Armoured Bear, Kowalski, Heathers, Super Extra Bonus Party, Neosupervital, Land Lovers and The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock.

As well as the musical treats on offer, there will also be various panels and mentor sessions during the day. A photography exhibition featuring work chosen by a committee, including Ticket editor Conor Goodman, will also run.

See www.hwch.netfor further updates.

The Blizzards  go hitchhiking

The Blizzards have written a track inspired by And Another Thing . . . ,the forthcoming sixth book in Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxyseries. The Mullingar band plan to release the song of the same name in October, when the book – which sees Irish author Eoin Colfer take up Adams's mantle – is published.

Lead singer Niall Breslin is reportedly a huge fan of the cult series, and decided to pitch a track to publishers Penguin when he heard that they were on the hunt for a contemporary band to link in with the book's publication.

Colfer, whose brother Niall is also a musician and has worked with the same sound engineer as the band, says that the quintet were an immediately conspicuous name.

"When the list came back I read no further than the first name, which was The Blizzards," he says. "Within nano-seconds it seemed Niall Breslin . . . and I were around a table being all esoteric about lyrics and stuff. Niall played me the demo for And Another Thing. . . which was brilliant, and now I get to say in a half-bored voice, 'Oh yeah, Niall Breslin . . . just laid down his new Hitchhikertrack for me.' "

Breslin was equally thrilled, claiming that it was an "honour" to be part of the project, and revealing that Colfer had played percussion on a "space- age china tea set".

What's the story?

Oasis have denied reports that they are to split in the near future. Several tabloids reported that the future of Messrs Gallagher, Gallagher and co was uncertain after they pulled out of last weekend's V Festival, but the band have confirmed that the cancellation was due to Liam Gallagher's laryngitis. They did, however, confirm that they will take "some well- earned time off" after they've completed their tour.

Grabbing opportunity

A talk called Recession: Opportunity Knockswill run as part of this year's Absolut Dublin Fringe Festival. The discussion will be chaired by The Ticket's own Sinéad Gleeson, and will feature young entrepreneurs from the entertainment and business worlds discussing the new ideas and initiatives springing up around the city. The discussion will take place at the Metro Bosco Theatre on September 9th.

Etc

Nuptial gift:The Wedding Present are the main musical attraction at this year's Imagine Arts Festival in Waterford. David Gedge and co will play Electric Avenue on October 23rd.

Devilish tunes:Cult songwriter Daniel Johnston is to release a new album in October. Is and Always Was, his first in six years, was produced by Jason Falkner.

Special event:The Duke Special-curated festival Dukebox takes place in Belfast tomorrow. The Magic Numbers, Panama Kings and Bell X1 will peform alongside Special, while various music, film and arts events will take place around the city. www.dukebox.tv.

Mew have stories to tell:Bob Dylan has claimed that he's in discussion with two car companies to be the voice of their GPS system. Dylan said, "I probably shouldn't do it, because whichever way I go I always end up at one place: Lonely Avenue."