Jacob Banks | Tue 27 Mar | O2 Institute | £17
Banks extended his ‘Into the Wild’ tour thanks to popular demand – and single ‘Unknown (to You)’ hitting #1 on Hype Machine’s main chart. It’s a well deserved break for the Birmingham-bred singer, whose digital soul music finds the sweet spot on the Venn diagram between EDM runs and 60s crooning. See our full preview here.

Sunflower Bean | Tue 27 Mar | Hare & Hounds | SOLD OUT
Sunflower Bean’s brand new sophomore effort ‘Twentytwo in Blue’ keeps the youthful bluntness of their exhilaratingly scrappy debut, but dresses it up in a whole new wardrobe – including some seriously natty 70s glam duds. It’s a rapid transformation that seems to suit them well: the retro charm is still there in force, but the rock-n-roll upstarts are sounding like a threat in their own right.

Strange Ghost | Wed 28 Mar | Hare & Hounds | £6
Catapult Club relentlessly promote high quality local gigs for minimal cash cost. Strange Ghost headline this bill of Brum talent; with beautifully realised and sophisticated electro soul melodies, their crisply fresh pop sound is full of contrast, like a sunny day bottled then let loose in the dark. See our full preview here.

The Destroyers | Thu 29 Mar | The Prince of Wales | £10
Birmingham’s own Balkan brass warriors are rocking up in the garden of Moseley’s Prince of Wales for an Easter bank holiday knees up. Their gigs are legendary; part cabaret, part theatre, all energy. An uproarious blend of powerhouse tunes and kinetic levels of barnstorming hardcore folkery. See our full preview here.

Awesome Tapes From Africa | Thu 29 Mar | Hare & Hounds | £11
DJ Brian Shimkovitz was first swept up in West Africa’s cassette culture while on a Fulbright scholarship in Ghana, quickly becoming hooked on the raw, passionate music made by the local Ghanaian musicians. Now he’s delivering a truly unique celebration of rare gems unearthed amongst the hustle and bustle of marketplaces dotted around West Africa. See our full preview here.

MØ | Fri 30 Mar | O2 Institute | £17
Danish pop wunderkind MØ is a guilty pleasure: zeitgeist-baiting futurist pop executed with a sense of irrepressible fun. MØ’s best moments, from the metronomic synth-brass of ‘Pilgrim’ to the Hollywood sugar-rush of ‘Drum’, have felt ubiquitous, working their way into every dark corner of the internet. With support from Strange Ghost – see our full preview here.

Die Das Der Present Yr Welcome (Indoors) | Sat 31 Mar | Wagon & Horses | £8
The brash, melodic fast-talking anthems of pop-punk geezers Yr Poetry, the discordant majesty of rodent wine monsters Rat the Magnificent and the howlin’ Americana tempest of You Dirty Blue are just a few reasons to check out the line up to Yr Welcome, a bargain all-dayer by Brummie alternative cultural entrepreneurs Die Das Der. As the first of three events for 2018, DDD are setting the bar high. theticketsellers.co.uk

Rue Royale | Sun 1 Apr | Kitchen Garden Café | £8
Rue Royale are one of those best-kept secrets of folk music, an Anglo-American duo that write gorgeous, heart-stirring songs that haunt you for days. It’s been a long while since 2013’s ‘Remedies Ahead’, but with a new album due and a cosy environment like the Kitchen Garden Café, the night should be a downright irresistible way to spend your Easter Sunday evening. wegottickets.com