gig

Zoe Muth and The Lost High Rollers

Being an up and coming Country and Western lassie isn't just about collecting a band whose combined age is your age squared, raiding your high school diaries for a mine of sufficiently tragic lyric material and knowing when to say yes to tassels as well as when to say no. Zoe Muth is everything Laura Marling wants to be; genuine, uncontrived...everything she writes isn't fictional and character-based, it resonates on a deeper and less abstract level. And these qualities aren't the result of some banjo-wielding Nashville upbringing, Muth was brought up in the capital of grunge, Seattle. Muth's cultural influences are raw - her interest in Americana and folk/country stems from her interest in history and the oppressed, as reflected to a degree in all her music. Prep with Starlight Hotel and Let's Just Be Friends For Tonight. Win Tickets /Cora Burke

Factory Floor

It has been a big week for one of pop's rising stars. In the space of a few short months, and with the assistance of a very pretty video, the release of her debut album this week was being anticipated with fervent curiosity. Yet, for every doting or fawning blogger, there was an equally derisory hack ready to pounce. Why such divisiveness? For one thing, she appears unable to perform live. And that is the crux of it. To contrast Factory Floor with this soon-to-be-crowned pop princess might seem ridiculous, but here is a rare breed of band who sound immeasurably better live, than they do on record. As intense as any band you’re likely to see, it comes as a bit of a surprise to find out this is their first headline show here. This is pulsating post-industrial, electronic-dance-drone of the highest order. Win Tickets / Simon Judge

sport

Roller Derby

I first came across Roller Derby on a night out where myself and a friend saw some Roller Derby Girls wearing their team t-shirts. As soon as I got home, I did the necessary googling. I had no idea what to expect on my first day, having not skated since I had Barbie skates. It's more athletic than I thought, but the great thing is you build up the fitness and learn the rules in steps. Derby is so fun and supportive that you're ripping up the track in no time! I love lining up on track waiting for the whistle to blow, everyone full of anticipation! The sport can look rough - girls hitting each other and falling everywhere, but it's actually very strategic, tactical and safe. Roller Derby is the fastest growing female sport in the world and tonight is our first home bout of 2012. Come and support! / Tina Gutt-Her

dj set

We are Electric

We Are Electronic are hosting their first event of the year in the Twisted Pepper, with Edinburgh native Neil Landstrumm headlining. Having decided to move away from djing to focus on his own live shows a decade ago, he has cultivated a long-standing reputation for satisfying the needs of fans of techno, acid, dubstep and everyone in between. On Saturday night, support comes in the form of Sunil Sharpe and Barry Redsettaz. The sense of variety is not limited to the actions of one individual however, and appears to be a theme running throughout the entire venue with each room throwing forth a different musical offering, including the always-entertaining Discotekken if you fancy something a little less bass-heavy. It looks set to be a good year for dance music in Dublin if 2012 continues as it has started. / Lucy Watts

book launch

The Great Explorer

Chris Judge lives in the woods and high in the mountains. He loves nothing more than relaxing at home or tending to his beautiful garden. He likes drinking tea, walking in the snow, standing in the rain, baking cakes and...writing the best damn illustrated children's books since Oliver Jeffers. Following up on the brilliant, award-winning Lonely Beast, Judge launches his next book, The Great Explorer. A famous explorer is lost in the North Pole and only one person can save him. Expect ships, hot air ballons, ice, bears, dolphins, ice bergs, hiking boots, drama, wolly hats and the aurora borealis in an action-packed illustrated wonder. For the launch, expect signed copies of the new book and tea and coffee. Hopefully no ice. / Vernon Steel