AS Robert Browning famously stated on Facebook “Oh, to be in Swindon now that April’s there,” and as the season springs into action the live music circuit seems also to be blooming. So with no further ado… This week sees the annual VicFest, happening at The Victoria (natch!) a long weekend celebration of music from local newcomers to international stars and casting a net widely across all manners of music genres.

Tonight it is all about the emerging alt-rock scene. Post 12 bring the pop-punk, while The Unguarded are wandering more alt-rock pathways and Getrz throw in some indie-rock vibes.

Elsewhere, there are plenty of more acoustic-minded acts to be found.

The Walker Broad Band is a two-piece who blend their passion for folk, blues and jazz into some inspired foot tappers and emotive ballads – catch them at The Beehive.

Often to be found playing on the same bill, both Jamie R Hawkins and Mike Barham do a neat line in personal narratives and deft musical penmanship, and tonight they go their own way.

Find the former at The Tuppenny and the latter at Groves Company Inn.

Friday’s Vic Fest offering lines up three stalwarts of local rock and indie circles and a fascinating new band too.

A Way With Words are one of the success stories of recent years – euphoric and melodic alt-rock and now heading into some darker realms. Plummie Racket and The Dicemen are also on an interesting evolutionary path, drawing on the punkish mod and brash indie of their past and now spreading their sound even wider and Raze*Rebuild continue to elegantly and forcefully splice punk and Americana.

The (mainly) non-local element comes from Let’s Swim, Get Swimming, an impressive blend of complex math rock and skewed indie dynamics.

If you fancy a bit of ‘80s and Brit Pop referencing indie then Pip Blom at Level III is one to mark down on your musical dance card. This Dutch four-piece weave the same underground pop threads as the likes of The Darling Buts or Sleeper and you can’t fault anyone for that. Support comes from rising indie-kids Misfires and local troubadour Bradley Cowtan.

In keeping with the tangential, mercurial and often downright odd nature of The Beehive, Friday’s musical offering is also all those things. SexJazz are a collision of dub, punk and jazz experimentation plus strange animal fixations… sensible songs for a stupid world or perhaps the other way around.

Musical normality, relatively speaking, can be found via Felix And The Funk who pay tribute to funk, pop, disco and other dance floor filling genres at The Castle.

plus all your favourites from across the spectrum with Angel Up Front at The Queens Tap and Manhattan Nights at The Groves Company Inn.

The Jam may be a band that has passed into the stuff of legend, but you can get fairly close to those long gone days as From The Jam, led by none other than Bruce Foxton, hit the MECA on Saturday.

You can expect all of the energy, swagger, attitude and classic songs played out like the old days.

It may not be The Jam but it comes a very close second.

In other “big names in town” news, Vic Fest is playing host to nu-metal/hip-hop hybrids Crazy Town.

A couple of years ago they came back on to the radar and delivered The Brimstone Sluggers, an album which should finally move them beyond the legacy of Butterfly’s one-hit wonder reputation. SNDubstation and Nomarks support bringing dance vibes and ska grooves beyond count.

All the way from Dallas, Tommy Hale breezes into The Rolleston with a new album and a whole lot of American rock ‘n’ roll (more of that elsewhere on this page) and also with a stateside stance, The Stray, breathe new life into roots rock and rockabilly at The Castle.

Two chances to catch the evocative Mia And The Moon’s blend of delicate acoustica, rich harmonies and ‘70s hippy resonance begin with an appearance at The Beehive but if you miss that, catch them at The Tuppenny on Sunday.

Elsewhere, Bloodstock’s Metal To The Masses battle of the bands at Level III pits Deadblow, Merithan and Spiral Key against each other, The Britpop Boys do what the name suggests at Groves Company Inn and Metson break out the party tunes at The Sun Inn, Coate Water.

The final day of VicFest on Sunday offers another slice of rock with the melodic, deft yet robust musical blends of All Ears Avow, doomcore from Heriot and some solid rock from Serafine.

I will end by saying that you should check your favourite venue’s web pages for other options.

There was a lot that I just didn’t have space to write about and it isn’t often I say that!