Tonight at Lavery's bunker, Belfast, the weekly Gigantic club rounds off its summer programme with a distinct punk, rock and hardcore theme.

Headlining are Yakuza, while support band Gaju, all angular guitars and spiky vocals, courtesy of Karen Kinghan (above) and Michael MacBroom, have a very original sound, something like a punked-up Le Tigre, but without the irritating tweeness.

Completing the line-up are the excellently-monikered Saint Dudes, presumably named after the patron saint of, like, whatever.

The self-proclaimed 'best band in Belfast' are, by their own admission, 'three cats playing scumbag rock 'n' roll', their mission being to 'raise the tempo and lower the tone' - how could anybody resist that?

ZZ A brand new night featuring up and coming bands launched at the same venue last week and is the latest project by local live music champions, Bruised Fruit promotions.

Held every Monday, as well as two Saturdays each month, Club Sandwich mixes band performances 'sandwiched' between DJ sets from various aspiring mixers.

This Monday sees winners of the recent Island Arts Festival Music Quest 06, The Elliots, performing alongside Cutaways and Belfast synth-rock quartet, The Shots.

Incidentally, if the name Cutaways doesn't seem familiar the music certainly will, as it's the new name of alt-rock foursome, formerly known as The Betes Noires.

ZZ A pair of musicians who everyone's finally talking about make what is possibly their last appearance as a duo in Belfast next week.

Sometime city centre buskers Pat and Nipsy have been working with a new line-up and on new songs as a fully-formed band in Liverpool, but return to Auntie Annie's on Tuesday and Lavery's on Wednesday for their farewell performances.

The quirky pair met on their first day of secondary school and have been playing and writing music together for the last 12 years, spending the last two years playing in Dublin, Liverpool, London, Athens and, most recently, Los Angeles.

If you don't manage to catch one of their gigs, you might just spot them sometime in the future, reclaiming their old busking spot - weather permitting, of course!

PATRIC BAIRD