IN a world which seems ever more divided along political lines, knowingly supporting cash over climate issues, payola over peace and where a small very small sector of society pull the strings and calls the shots, wouldn’t it be good to have someone come along and make sense of it all.

Not some dry political hack or firebrand orator but maybe a guy with a bass guitar, a hat and a bag of songs which point fingers, neatly satirises and gently ridicules the state of the world. It might not fix the problems but it sounds like a fun night out to me. Oh look, Grant Sharkey is at The Tuppenny tonight, what a co-incidence!

Meanwhile down at The Beehive, that excellent fellow Tim Manning is hosting his Acoustic Buzz night, a session dedicated to all things rootsy and this time around Boss Caine headlines the night, imagine Tom Waits singing Ryan Adams …if they had both had the good fortune to grow up in Yorkshire that is. Chris Webb is also on the bill, a finger-style folkie par excellence and your host will kick the night off with his song-blends of country and folk.

The Rock Bottoms have their regular open mic night at The Queen’s Tap, a must for anyone who wants to make that step from bedroom rockstar to jobbing musician as your hosts Dan and Adam are always willing to share their industry experience and at The Victoria The Astral Ponies Mobile Disco rolls into town and who knows what strange music lies in their collective record collections!

999 is a band whose story runs right back through the formative years of punk, having formed in the same London mixing pot which was responsible for the birth so many iconic bands. On Friday they bring their blend of raw melody and punk swagger to The Victoria. Joining them are The Vooz, the missing link between accessible punk and visceral indie and the explosion of razor wire guitars and primal screaming that is The Liabilities gets the night underway.

Also on the noisy end of the spectrum, Metal Gods are at The Queen’s Tap with one foot planted firmly in the 80’s metal heyday and the other planted firmly on the monitor and Down and Dirty will be at The Baker’s Arms exploring rock music in all its forms from intricate proggy landscapes to three chord boogies and from jazz infused weirdness to slick pop-rockery, they have the lot.

The amount of bands who can be said to have truly changed the face of music make up a very small list but one band’s blending of EDM, Kosmiche, psychedelic rock and psychotropic rave lead to the birth of the baggy scene. You can find The Absolute Stone Roses at Level III reminding us just how ahead of their time those guys were and also that without them there would have been no Oasis, so swings and roundabouts I guess. (Calm down, its just a joke. Probably.)

Two of the most interesting bands on the local circuit buddy up at The Beehive as Aural Candy and Mr Love and Justice take the stage. The latter are a wonderful blend of west coast pop and west country folk and the former are…well, anything they decide to be really. If you prefer the music you know and love presented in a stripped back but lush and harmonious way then People Like Us at The Groves Company Inn is the one for you.

For something weird and wonderful you might like to catch Ash Mandrake and his strange mix of hats, home made guitars, mythology and progressive folk at The Rolleston and equally out there is Sex Jazz, a Zappa-esque mix of squalling rock and jazz eccentricity at The Castle. Normality is restored by mentioning the bluesy, country rock and roll of Bob Collum and The Welfare Mothers at The Beehive, after which it is all about pre-loved music.

Oasish and Stereotonics are back at The Victoria, I’m sure I don’t have to spell that out and Rockabilly Rumble also do what it says on the tin at The Groves Company Inn. The Queen’s Tap is the place for classic rock with Damn Good Reason and a scattering of big hits and party tunes can be found at The Sun Inn with Champagne Charlie and The Merlin courtesy of Good Times.

Sunday gives you the options of Pre Fab Four reliving the glory of The Beatles at 20 At The Kings and for those still looking for a rock buzz, Absolva carry the old school heavy metal torch at The Victoria.