Bryan Ferry, Mercury Rev, Mabel: the best rock and pop this week

Bryan Ferry
Olympia Theatre, Dublin Saturday April 21st 7pm €71.50 (sold out) ticketmaster.ie;  Waterfront Hall, Belfast Monday April 23rd 7pm £70/£55/£49/£45 (sold out) waterfront.co.uk
The man who influenced a generation back in the 1970s is 73 years of age in September, but he continues to gently shake a leg and warble in that highly distinctive voice of his. There's no doubt that Bryan Ferry deserves his chapter in the development of popular music, but his output over the past 10 years hasn't come close to the game-changing sequence of albums Roxy Music released from 1972-1982. Not to worry, though, because these sold-out shows constitute nostalgia writ large, covering everything from Roxy Music's enthralling golden days to Ferry's sometimes highly efficient solo work. Ah, the thrill of it all, etc. TCL 

Mabel
Green Room at The Academy, Dublin Saturday April 21st €14 ticketmaster.ie
When your parents are Neneh Cherry and Massive Attack record producer Cameron McVey, it's very unlikely that you'd end up with a career in finance, and thankfully Mabel decided that effortlessly cool R&B bangers were her calling instead. The Spanish-born, Swedish-reared and London-based singer-songwriter was recently in Dublin supporting Harry Styles, and this is her first headlining Irish show. She is the up-and-coming pop star whose name will soon be everywhere. LB

Mercury Rev
Róisín Dubh, Galway Saturday April 21st 3pm/8pm €32.50 roisindubh.net; Whelan's Dublin Sunday April 22nd 8pm €35 (sold out) whelanslive.com
For almost 30 years, Buffalo, New York band Mercury Rev has provided a kind of exploratory indie rock that many other music acts daren't engage with. Yet it was with 1998's Deserter's Songs that Mercury Rev gained commercial traction, making them very unlikely pop stars in the process. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of that album ("intimate, romantic narratives set against the staggering natural beauty" – Pitchfork) with performances in low-key venues seems a good fit. Gigs like these don't come around too often, so lucky are those that have managed to nab a ticket to these over-subscribed shows. TCL

Celebration of Mark E Smith
Grand Social, Dublin Saturday April 21st 7.30pm €10 thegrandsocial.ie

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Music fans of a certain disposition and age were cut to the quick on January 24th of this year when punk rock auteur Mark E Smith died. "Always different, always the same" was BBC DJ John Peel's invaluable description of The Fall, and tonight some of Ireland's most avid Fall/Mark E Smith fans pay their respects via video, spoken word, poetry and music. So far confirmed are The 202s, Twinkranes, Niall Colfer, Richer Than Astronauts, Soft on Crime and former Sewing Room member Dez Foley. More names, however, will surely be announced-ah! TCL

Nada Surf
Whelans, Dublin Saturday April 21st 8pm €21 (sold out) whelanslive.com

Formed in 1992, the year after Nirvana broke into the mainstream with Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nada Surf waited several years before they released their debut album (High/Low, 1996), and since then has been an infrequent but much-admired presence for fans of catchy power-pop. There have been mistakes and misdemeanours along the way, of course, but if you're looking for a highly reliable band with a fervent fanbase as well as a band that knows its way around a snagging, watertight pop/rock hook, then you're on the right track. TCL

Nashville
3Arena, Dublin Monday April 23rd €58.50-€75 ticketmaster.ie
As the sixth and final season of Nashville plays out on TG4 and you're wondering how the hell that show has kept going, some of its stars are going out on a farewell tour of sorts. Sam Palladio (Gunnar Scott), Clare Bowen (Scarlett O'Connor), Chris Carmack (Will Lexington), Charles Esten (Deacon Claybourne) and Jonathan Jackson (Avery Barkley) will don their cowboy hats and Texan twangs one last time and perform songs from the series, as well as some of their own original songs. LB

Lost Horizons
Grand Social, Dublin Tuesday April 24th 7.30pm €17.35 thegrandsocial.ie
Let's hear it for the 50-somethings! One-time bass player of The Cocteau Twins Simon Raymonde (who is also head honcho of the Bella Union record label) and former Dif Juz drummer Richie Thomas recently decided that this pop music lark wasn't just for fresh-faced musicians. Last year, Lost Horizons released its debut album, Ojala, and thus began a life beyond deskbound work. Resonant melancholia is the order of the day from studio-based improvised music, says Raymonde, which "was all about recapturing that feeling when you're 15, making music with friends". Special guests are UK indie pop/rock sibling act Penelope Isles aka Jack and Lily Wolter. TCL

The Vamps
3Arena, Dublin Wednesday April 25th €73.50 ticketmaster.ie
When pop-rock group The Vamps first started out in and around 2012, they played support to McFly, JLS and The Wanted. Is it a coincidence that The Vamps – short for Vampires, maybe? – have gone from YouTube stars to stadium heroes and none of the bands they once supported exist anymore? No, it's not a coincidence. The Vamps are just very good at making chart and dancefloor-friendly pop songs, while the others had a very definite best-before date. LB

Awolnation
The Academy, Dublin Wednesday April 25th €28 ticketmaster.ie
Awolnation are the type of band whose music you know but you're not entirely sure how. Their 2011 single Sail features in episodes of The Good Wife, The Walking Dead, The Vampire Diaries, Fleabag  and Pretty Little Liars (with Fleabag using the song in a particularly clever way, so add that show to your watch list). The LA indie-pop band layer up the synths to darken the mood and they bring the noise in a live setting, while tending to your dancing needs. LB

Selk
Bello Bar, Portobello, DublinWednesday April 25th 8pm €10
Selk on their own would be an intriguing enough experience. Between Anna Jordan's deft keyboard playing (she is a graduate of Newpark Music School, where she studied jazz piano) and Dennis Cassidy's percussive prowess (he has spent time in Irish jazz-hip-hop collective Mixtapes from the Underground), the duo is one of the very few in Ireland that works from a genuinely broad musical base. This gig is somewhat different, however, in that they are assisted by electronic musician Keith Lindsay (producer of Selk's debut album, Beast) and other musicians for an evening of evolving and improvisational soundscapes. TCL

Lotto Boyzz
Academy 2, Dublin Thursday April 26th €14.35 ticketmaster.ie

Lotto Boyzz are an R&B and Afrobeat duo from Birmingham and they've been working their way into the charts by working with other artists while releasing their own deadly songs like Bim Bam and No Don. Bad Vibe, a collaboration with London girlband M.O and Nigerian singer Mr Eazi, is a breezy dancehall bop that should work its way onto your summer playlists. Lotto stands for Last Of The Trill Ones, which captures the confidence of these lads perfectly. LB

Super Silly
Róisín Dubh, Galway Thursday April 26th Adm free roisindubh.net
If there's one thing to be said about the Dublin group Super Silly, it's that they're super smooth. Hudis, Grvz, SolBas and Glory work together and deliver R&B harmonies so pure and pick-up lines so effective that you'd almost drop everything to run away with them. Almost. They're bound to appear on the bill at a number of festivals this summer, so use this free gig as an up close and personal introduction to Super Silly. LB

Johnny Duhan
Draíocht, Blanchardstown, Dublin Friday April 27th 8pm €18/€15 draiocht.ie
Irish songwriter Johnny Duhan has been a notable figure on the music scene from his time in the 1960s with Limerick beat group Granny's Intentions, but it is his solo work that surely bears further investigation. From The Flame (1996) to Creation (2015), Duhan has been one of Ireland's more questioning songwriters, albeit one that operates under the commercial radar. The recently released compilation album, John Duhan – the Irishman's Finest Collection, will be delved into, no doubt, as will his commendable back catalogue. If you miss this out-of-city show, Duhan also tours around Ireland next month: Town Hall, Galway on May 3rd; St John's, Listowel, Co Kerry on May 18th and The Linenhall, Castlebar, Co Mayo on May 25th. TCL

Saint Sister & Ryan Vail
St John the Baptist Church, Church Avenue, Drumcondra, Dublin 9 Friday April 27th 7.30pm €22.20 (sold out)

Rescheduled due to last month's snowfest, this nominal co-headline show is one not to miss (although, as it's sold out, some of you may have to). Saint Sister's Morgan MacIntyre and Gemma Doherty have been slowly building up to the release of their debut album, and it looks as if this year will see it arrive. The duo's blend of electronica and folk is a winning one, as is the music of Derry-based electronic musician Ryan Vail. Vail, however, is a different proposition altogether. His mix of classic electronica, classical music forms and levels of sonic tenderness shape his new album, Distorted Shadows. Gig of the week? TCL

Josh Rouse
Whelans, Dublin Friday April 27th 8pm €23 whelanslive.com
As a child, Nebraska-born Josh Rouse moved around the USA so much (Georgia, Wyoming, Utah, California) that by the time he moved to Nashville at the age of 18 he was well on the way to formulating ideas, and then songs, about the varying natures of people and the experiential importance of places. Once again based in Nashville – following a 10-year-plus stint living in Spain – this mature and considered musician has easily put out to pasture the notion that singer-songwriters have little left to add to the rich fabric of life and all of its associated conflicts. Expect Rouse to flick through several back pages here, as well as perform tracks from his new album, Love in the Modern Age. TCL