CHERRY GLAZERR, Whelan’s, Dublin, Tuesday, €15.
Death Grips fans may know Clementine Creevy from her psyched-out chant of “giving bad people good ideas” in the song of the same name, battered by gabba beats and industrial frazzle. But her real day job is fronting Cherry Glazer, though, an irreverent noise-pop trio from LA with as much swagger as their 90s heroes.
Creevy started writing as a bedroom indie kid when she was 15, eventually recruiting bassist Sean Redman and drummer Hannah Uribe and releasing the grungey 24-minute album Haxel Princess in 2014.
With Creevy still only 19, Cherry Glazer have just released the follow-up called (wait for it) Apocalipstick. It’s a more polished affair with hints of Future Islands-style electronics, but it’s got a genuine exuberance and fire that recalls the Slits’ classic album Cut.
THE SELECTER & THE BEAT: Academy, Dublin, tonight, SOLD OUT; The Limelight, Belfast, tomorrow, SOLD OUT
The Specials were a bigger crossover hit with the indie kids, and Madness got to play for the Queen, but The Selecter and The Beat have always been right behind them as the other half of the ska revivalist big four.
With both teaming up for a joint headline tour, it was always going to be a sellout, and tickets for both shows are long gone.
Expect both acts to guest on each other’s songs, and between them they’ve got some serious classics in the vault, including Mirror in the Bathroom, On My Radio, Too Much Pressure and the anti-Thatcher anthem Stand Down Margaret.
IRON MAIDEN: 3Arena, Dublin, tomorrow, €73.50-78.50
After 40 years in business, metal heroes Iron Maiden’s last album The Book of Souls is their biggest chart success to date, hitting No1 in 40 (!) countries – and it’s even a double album to make the slam-dunk even sweeter.
To nick one of their most famous song titles, the British band are the biggest Troopers in metal, playing arenas and stadiums for decades, with frontman Bruce Dickinson even back on tour after chemo treatment for throat cancer in 2015.
With all-time classics like Run to the Hills, Number of the Beast and Wasted Years, and metal’s most famous icon Eddie still ransacking the stage, this gig will be another victory lap.
DEFTONES, Vicar Street, Dublin, Tuesday & Wednesday (both sold out)
Deftones first emerged in the mid-90s alongside Korn as a down-tuned emotionally-wrought metal hybrid – an alternative to the morto ‘post-grunge’ bands like Staind, Puddle of Mudd and Creed, fighting over Nirvana and Pearl Jam’s scraps.
But while Korn chased the quick buck and nu-metalled themselves into a corner for the next 20 years, Deftones have continued to be one of metal’s most experimental acts.
Their first three albums Adrenaline, Around the Fur and White pony still stand up, while they continue to confound – covering Elvis and Earth, Wind & Fire and most recently having 80s throwback synthwave artist Com Truise remix their latest single Prayers / Triangles.
JAKE CLEMONS, Whelan’s, Dublin, Wednesday, €23; Empire, Belfast, Thursday,£23; Dolans, Limerick, next Friday, €19.90
Jake Clemons filled the biggest shoes in rock’n’roll when he took over from his uncle Clarence as Bruce Springsteen’s right-hand man. Before his death in 2011, The Big Man was for decades the most legendary man on E Street, with that image of Bruce leaning on him on the Born To Run cover one of the most enduring images in rock history.
Jake passed the test with Bruce and the fans, and he’s now a permanent member of the tightest backing band on Earth.
As well as playing with Springsteen, he’s helped out Eddie Vedder, the Roots Swell Season, he’s a touring solo artist, and has just released his debut album Fear & Love.
Considering his genes and his day job, you can guess what it sounds like – it’s heart-on-sleeve bluesy rock’n’roll, with Jake on sax, guitar, piano and drums and a well-worn storyteller’s singing voice.
Moo Kid 