Peaness | Mon 13 Mar | Sunflower Lounge | £6
It’s hard not to comment on this all-female indie-pop band’s most excellent of names, but we will rise above it; Peaness specialise in catchy, understated choruses, breezy harmonies, and tight guitar-bass interplay. Hidden inside the punchy sugar-rush of their music is a razor-sharp knack for songwriting, and they’re poised for bigger and better things this year. See our full preview here.

Laura Marling | Tue 14 Mar | O2 Institute | SOLD OUT
Folk troubadour Laura Marling has never stayed still, releasing a new album every two years, using an ever-more-pointed pen and a greater orchestral ambition every time. Her lens has widened, telling broad stories in alarming and intricate ways, bringing her ever-closer to the company of her idols – Dylan, Mitchell and the like. By now, it’s hard to imagine anything holding her back. Check seetickets.com for potential resale tickets.

IDLES | Tue 14 Mar | Hare & Hounds | £7
IDLES have a chaotic irreverency in their bones, marrying the bitter comedy of McLusky with punchy Clash riffs xeroxed and thrown through a shredder. Steve Lamacq might think this is some mutated form of ‘pop’, but he couldn’t be more wrong: it’s the voice of embittered outsiders who know insanity is the only rational adjustment to an insane world. See our full preview here.

Surfer Blood | Thu 16 Mar | Mama Roux’s | £8.50
The scrappy vitality of Surfer Blood’s diamond-in-the-rough debut won quick acclaim back in 2010, and after overhauls, tragedies and controversies, this year’s ‘Snowdonia’ finds them back in fighting shape. Controlling the chaos with the coiled post-punk intensity of Fugazi, the pop-rockers clearly still have a fire in their bellies. See our full preview here.

Rhino and the Ranters | Fri 17 Mar | Hare & Hounds | £8
Sartorial rock ‘n roll legends Rhino and the Ranters serve up cow-punk blues that is sure to be accompanied by the percussive sounds of a hundred thighs being slapped. From swampy blues to colourful hoedowns, it’s a high-energy, often tongue-in-cheek ride that puts the ‘wild’ into West Midlands. See our full preview here.