Pop superstars Simply Red will be bidding a sad goodbye this year, with two dates in Ireland as part of their Farewell Tour.

The Manchester band will be performing at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast on November 8, and The O2, Dublin, on November 7.

The band have had a string of hits down the years like Stars, Money’s Too Tight To Mention, Holding Back the Years and Fairground.

Simply Red will play their final farewell shows this year after a quarter of a century of touring, allowing Mick to pursue a solo career and begin a brand new chapter.

Tickets, on sale this Friday, are £38 for the Belfast show and 49.20euros for the Dublin gig.

American rapper 50 Cent will be making his long-awaited return to Belfast next week.

It's just over two years since he last played in the city and his next concert is scheduled at the Odyssey Arena for Monday, March 22.

He rose to fame in 2003 with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin'.

Tickets are priced from £30 to £39.

Next month sees the very talented Joshua Radin take to the stage in Dublin.

The American singer-songwriter, whose new album Simple Times is released on April 9, will be performing at the Academy in Dublin on Monday, April 26.

His music has featured in the likes of Grey’s Anatomy and One Tree Hill.

Tickets are 19.50euros.

Canadian indie pop stars and identical twins Tegan and Sara will return to Belfast this summer for a gig.

The duo will be performing at Mandela Hall on Monday, June 14, in support of their latest album Sainthood which was released in late 2009.

The Canadian duo have been releasing albums since 1999 but it was their 2004 release So Jealous which first pushed the profile of the twins outside of Canada.

Tickets are £18.

Young British rock band Canterbury arrive in Belfast for their first headline show, with an all ages gig in the Speakeasy at Queen’s Students’ Union on March 30.

The band are currently gearing up to support You Me At Six at their two sold-out Irish dates at Mandela Hall and the Olympia in Dublin before returning to Belfast for their own show, promoting their debut album Thank You.

The show is for over-14s, anyone under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Tickets are £5.

Welsh rock band Skindred will play at the Limelight on Sunday, March 21, as part of their European tour to promote their new album Shark Bites and Dog Fights.

The band's musical style mixes alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and reggae.

Kerrang magazine describes the band as “the best live band in Britain”.

Tickets are £13.

The 1980s American glam metal band WINGER have announced a Belfast date in their upcoming European tour.

They will play Spring & Airbrake on Saturday, March 27.

Winger reunited after more than a decade in 2006 for the release of their comeback album IV, a record that pushed the boundaries of the WINGER classic sound to new heights.

Their new fifth studio album Karma was released in October 2009.

Tickets are priced £18.

Club DJ and audio-visual expert DJ Yoda is coming to the Spring & Airbrake this Easter Monday (April 5) to preform a unique full AV show.

Best known for his innovative combinations of music with film, TV shows and You Tube visuals, DJ Yoda has captured the imagination of the masses and won numerous awards.

His current Magic Cinema Show takes the AV art form into brand new territory using cutting edge DVD mixing equipment that he has been instrumental in developing.

Tickets are £12.50.

* The CT has teamed up with Wonderland Promotions to offer readers the chance to win two passes to see Richard Clayderman in Belfast’s Waterfront Hall on April 16.

For your chance to win answer this question: Which Belfast venue will Richard be playing at?

Send your answer, along with a contact number, to: Gig Guide competition, c/o The CT, Fifth Floor, 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast, BT1 1EB, or email cteditorial@thect.co.uk. The deadline for entries is April 7 at 12noon.

* Tickets for Simply Red, 50 Cent, Joshua Radin, Tegan and Sara are available from all Ticketmaster outlets. For 24-hour credit card bookings, call 0870 2434455. Alternatively book online at www.ticketmaster.ie.

Tickets for Richard Clayderman are available from the Waterfront box office 9033 4455 or online at www.waterfront.co.uk and from the usual Ticketmaster outlets.

Tickets for Skindred, WINGER and DJ Yoda are available from all usual Ticketmaster outlets, Katie Daly’s, Auntie Annie’s Attic and from the website www.cdleisure.com. Phone 0844 2774455.