Alessi’s Ark | Mon 14 May | Cuban Embassy | £8
Alessi Laurent-Marke has the knack of a simple, to-the-point folk song, but her band Alessi’s Ark elevate her sound with tasteful, understated post-rock grandeur, like a Broken Social Scene song being led by Emily Haines. seetickets.com

Josh T Pearson | Wed 16 May | Glee Club | £18.50
The mustachioed muscle-rock folk singer returns from his slumber with a newfound playfulness, tongue in cheek and swagger in step – new single ‘Straight to the Top!’ coming off like QOTSA giving an electrifying Elvis impersonation. seetickets.com

FEET | Wed 16 May | Sunflower Lounge | £6
FEET are hungry, as you can tell from the sprawling post-punk joy of ‘Petty Thieves’ – switching gears rapidly from a fuzzed-out mclusky stampede to a freewheeling surf-rock jam: clearly a band with plenty of tricks up their sleeves. seetickets.com

Machine Head | Thu 17 May | O2 Academy | £27.50
Yes, seminal California metal band Machine Head have a new album – it’s called Catharsis, it has blood on the cover, and a riff-grinding lead single – but credit where it’s due: the band are far from resting on their laurels, taking risks and stylistic detours all over the map. seetickets.com

The Mourning Suns | Fri 18 May | Dark Horse | FREE
Some stunning Birmingham talent in the form of Mourning Suns’ expansive melancholy and finely woven country blues. We’re highly anticipating some new music from this bunch, so go get a taster for free.

Peach Pit | Sun 20 May | Mama Roux’s | £10
Dreamy Vancouver indie band Peach Pit make jangly, affable beach music for lovably awkward people – with more than a little of Mac Demarco’s scrappy charm, complete with weird-ass photo shoots and thrift-store outfits. LP ‘Being So Normal’ has them touted for great things. seetickets.com