BLUES/ROCK
Royal Blood
Ulster Hall, Belfast 8pm £21.50
ulsterhall.co.uk
They've only been around since 2013, yet Brighton duo Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher have, as they say on The X Factor, smashed it right out of the park. The duo's profile is bound to get higher: this year they support Foo Fighters on dates in the US and UK. Special guests for all of Royal Blood's Irish dates are Mini Mansions.
GLAM!
The Darkness
Whelan's, Dublin 8pm €22 (sold out)
whelanslive.com
We remember the heady days of 2003, when The Darkness's Permission to Land debut album caught many unawares with its mix of garish glam and broad, spandex-tight humour. Ten years later? While the high-profile gloss may be chipped, we'd safely bet that the band is still good for a laugh – for all the right reasons.
