So there I was looking for inspiration to write this opening paragraph, trawling the internet for interesting facts from which to spring into wondrous literary prose or at least amusing anecdote.

Sadly, for all its billions of facts and articles, the internet doesn’t seem to work like that and most of the information to be found between the postings of cats who look a bit like Hitler and the latest Justin Bieber antics seem an exercise in pointlessness and posture.

I say most, as there were a few interesting nuggets to be found. For example did you know that David Bowie invented Connect 4? Air conditioning is actually helping to prevent global warming by cooling the earth. The fact that Mount Rushmore resembles famous American presidents is pure coincidence. Chicken pies actually came before the egg sandwich... 114 per cent of the statistics found online are exaggerated for comic affect.

Some of these might not be true, it’s like Abraham Lincoln famously said at Gettysburg, “not all quotes found on the internet are accurate”.

With that in mind the best place to find out what is going on musically is here. I have done all the rigorous checking for you and can assure you that this is 100 per cent accurate, subject to change, the information given to me by promoters, the fickleness of musicians and natural disasters!

Tonight at The Victoria, Songs of Praise throw another loud and shouty collection of bands into the mix.

The AK-Poets will be gracing the headline spot for their trademark show of riotous, razor wire rock ‘n’roll riffing, meticulous melodies and more alliterative descriptions than you can throw a thesaurus at. Support is courtesy of the wonderfully named punk ‘n’roll outfit Molotov Sexbomb and the opening salvo comes hard and heavy from Headcount. Old school rock and roll is back on the menu.

Something a bit more soothing can be found at The Beehive as Mambo Jambo mix up roots and world music styles into a cultural diverse musical odyssey.

If something altogether funkier is your thing then The Soul Strutters at Baker Street is the place to be.

On Friday we have offerings that run from the sublime to the ridiculous. At one end we have Metalhead playing rock and metal classics at The Victoria and at the other it’s Showaddywaddy at The Wyvern Theatre. Blimey!

In between those extremes you can find the eerie, understated acoustica of We Ghosts at The Beehive, whilst The Rolleston opts for fired up electric blues-rock with Keith Thompson and his band. Keith has worked with everyone from a pre-Motorhead Mick “Wurzel” Burston to Ruby Turner, so musical quality is guaranteed.

At Riffs Bar the regular acoustic session features Jenny Bracey and Last Flight Home. After trawling trough the copious amount of information on offer for this gig I can tell you that the former is a singer-songwriter and the latter is a new musical vehicle for Missin’ Rosie frontman Joe Rendell. That is all.

It’s the usual pre-dominance of standards and nostalgia on Saturday with a couple of exceptions.

Towing the line are 1000 Planets at The Victoria with a set of punk, goth and new wave blasts from the past, The Great Nothing play rock classics at The Rolleston after which if you move downstairs to Basement 73 you will get another set of classic rock and metal from Dodging The Bullet. Meanwhile, at The Greyhound you will find Bombshell playing, wait for it, rock covers; anyone see a pattern forming here?

If you are looking for something to break the cycle, Splat The Rat play Folk Beat at The Castle, a blend of modern folk acoustica put to a world music backbeat.

Also moving to the beat of their own drum is Nudybronque who launch their new EP at Riffs Bar.

After months holed up in a secret location in Old Town they have emerged with a more diverse sound, a raft of great songs, a shiny new CD and the same brand of charisma, lunatic charm and stage presence that got them noticed in the first place. To help them celebrate the night they have invited some of their favourite acts to join them. The Get Outs will play punked out rock, The Interceptors, infectious ska and Faye Rogers provides a gentle acoustic start to the evening.

More delicate acoustic sounds can be found at The Roaring Donkey in Old Town on Wednesday in the shape of the tousle-haired troubadour Billyjon.

All about...  The King in Mirrors

The King in Mirrors should definitely win the “sticking to your guns” local music award.

Long after many of their peers have either given up on music or have morphed into cover bands, Rich May is still creating sounds inspired by the bands that got him excited about music in the first place.

And the result of resolutely sticking with the plan is that they have an EP, Little Voices, being released by Take A Nap Records even as we speak.
Just as with his last band, Baby Train, Rich knows what he wants the band to be about and the fickle hand of fashion and hipsterish “now-ness” is the last thing on his mind.

That said, King in Mirrors is no nostalgic pastiche, no stuck in the past homage to his teenage record collection and although it is easy to see where his influences lie, Go-Betweens, Echo and The Bunnymen, The Cure, Orange Juice and all of that post-punk, underground pop, this is the sound of that scene not merely resurrected but moving forward into a bright and productive future.

Great pop hooks intertwine with an understated rock urgency and remind us that it is at the counterpoint of the two genres that some of the best music is made, mixing the credibility of the latter with the infectiousness and danceability of the former.

Pre-release teasers for the EP have been testing the market and I have to say that the title track alone easily lives up to their previous high point, Rolling in The Sun, hinting that Little Voices will be nothing short of an alt-pop masterclass brimming with groove and accessibility.