This week I am going to take a break from spotlighting local venues and talk about a campaign that you should all get behind.

Playing Glastonbury Festival is quite an achievement for any up and coming act. Just ask The Alfonz who managed to do just that last year.

Now another local act is making a break for the Somerset border.

Matthew Kilford has built up quite a following since picking up his acoustic guitar and heading off under his own steam, and the ex-Belarus man has been exciting audiences with his sparse and atmospheric tunes and reflective, wistful lyrics.

In a bid to reach a wider audience he has found himself in a competition to secure a place in Britain’s most prestigious festival and you can help him out by voting here... www.qthemusic.com/glastonburynewtalent/ It will take no time to vote. Do it now and help a local artist get one step further up the ladder.

As is becoming the norm, Thursday has the lion’s share of the action. The 12 Bar has not only a host of great bands, but also is raising money for The Goldenhar UK Support Group. Catch The Sound Crew, Vicious of The Beloved and Deep Thought for a mix of covers and originals.

Songs of Praise are hosting their monthly get together at the Victoria tonight and it is wall to wall rock and roll. Dead by Friday kick things off, with the weird and very wonderful Band of Burt moving things along. Hotel 75 will be showcasing their new darker, heavier direction and headliners Diablo 13 will be spreading their country-core magic.

Something a bit more laid back is at the Beehive in the shape of Bluestyle, otherwise known as Norman Oxley, a man with blues blood in his veins. You might even consider catching The Tiger Lillies (read all about them above), at the Art Centre for a bit of avant garde music hall madness.

Friday’s child is full of funk, if Riffs Bar has anything to say about it. Funkensteins and The Porn Issue mix up driving rock with something altogether groovier.

Elsewhere a band with an intriguing write up, who I am yet to catch, Not Rocket Science, play the Rolleston. Their blurb states that their music is “unsettling, frightening and so powerful that it demands attention”. They have also apparently been likened to REM and even the Yardbirds. That sounds like something special.

Alternative acoustic tunes from Rawshack starts things off.

If tribute bands are your cup of Earl Grey then you might like to catch some Muse at the 12 Bar but if taken by the rock bug then The Furnace might be the place to be. As part of their ongoing conquest of the UK, In The Absence of Light have an EP launch show.

Senturia, Cold Harbour and Alexandra Awaits help spread the word. The word is metal!

In the blast from the past department we have two bands from the heady days of the Mod revival era of the late seventies. The Lambrettas and Long Tall Shorty will be bringing a touch of class to the 12 Bar on Saturday.

Break out the brogues, parka and tonics and get ready to throw some moves. Local band Suspicions will be giving it some garage soul to get you in the mood.

If, however, you find that you have run out of cheese, The Furnace has a tribute to Def Leppard.

One of my favourite acts is at the Beehive for the Sunday afternoon set. Hiproute’s main man, known as Just Jim, will be joined by a few friends for an audience participation of roots acoustic shenanigans. Not a bad way to round the weekend off.

The musical week ends on a high note with Anti-folk from Bristol’s Poppy and Friends again at the Beehive on Wednesday. Urban stories, sweet melodies and a unique voice will draw comparisons to the likes of Emmy the Great and The Bobby McGee’s and will make you wonder if this is what Kate Nash could have been like if she had stay true to her roots?

We will never know.