The Japanese Popstars

Tripod, Dublin Tonight 11pm €12 0818-719300

Towards the end of summer 2008, the Japanese Popstars released their debut album ( We Just Are) and stepped on to a rollercoaster. Since then, the Northern Irish trio have barely had time to catch their breath as their high-energy, stadium-sized rock-rave and maximum-strength bangers took them around the globe a couple of times.

The Popstars reckon they’ve played 220 shows to more than 500,000 people on four continents, plugging the bejabers out of the album.

You can hear the fruits of that touring and the hugely positive effect it has had on their sound on We Just Are: Live, an album recorded on that lengthy jaunt. Needless to say, all that touring has also increased their power and panache as a live band. Support from Conor G, while Michael Kelly and The Inmates spin in the bar.

Can’t See That? Catch This

Club 0a2 turn seven(Friday, Galway); Tigerbeat6's Kanji Kinetic helps Electric Underground get merry (Friday, Cork); and the annual Bring the Toysfundraiser (Saturday, Dublin)