TAKE a look out of the frosted-up window, through the grey, frozen air.

Imagine a land so desolate, so bleak, so bitter and unforgiving that nothing can ever grow there.

A barren land that stretches for miles, into eternity. An endless void of terminal tundra, a life-crushing vacuum of nothingness that goes beyond the reaches of the known universe.

Imagine the size of that, a landscape so immense your brain implodes trying to comprehend its dimensions.

Then double it.

That, dear reader, is January, and we’ve barely started.

After the joys of Christmas and celebrating the New Year, when the decorations are put back in the loft, the unwanted presents refunded, the empty bottles put in the recycling bins, it’s a long old haul through the longest month of the year.

But it’s not all so bad as there are a few bright lights coming over the horizon for this weekend.

Take tonight, for example, Friday, January 6, where guitar virtuoso Tom Toomey will be making his debut at the Belvedere in Weymouth.

Tom has been playing with Sixties legends The Zombies for the past seven years and it’s been pretty non-stop all over the world.

As he tells me from his Blue Door Studio just over the border in Somerset: “ It’s rare that I get time off from touring with The Zombies so I’ve taken advantage of a three-month break to record a new album.

“Today I’ve been working with opera singer William Purefoy, one of the world’s leading counter-tenors (and brother of actor James Purefoy, celeb watchers), American vocalist Melissa Kaplan and Dave Wallace, who is David Essex’s drummer,” he tells me, and apologises for the non-stop name-dropping.

“That’s okay,” I reply. “My former golf buddy Frank Sinatra told me it was okay occasionally.”

Tom has a pretty hectic year ahead of him. As well as the Belvedere gig tonight, he’s also at The George in Dorchester on Sunday, January 8. He has a few close-to-home gigs, including The David Hall Arts Centre in South Petherton (it’s his local) on February 11 before it all goes chicken oriental for him on The Zombies’ US and Canada tour.

He’s with them in Jamaica at the beginning of March, then it’s the east and west coasts of the USA, and up the middle too and into Canada.

Then it’s back to Europe for the Primavera Festival In Barcelona at the end of May.

Blimey, it’s a hard life.

Although he does bemoan the state of the music industry with many talented artists struggling to make a decent living from streaming music and quality songwriters unable to get satisfactory deals with recording companies, he does agree it’s not too bad.

“I feel very blessed,” he says.

“You have to keep at it, work hard to be creative, and never give up,” he adds.

He could always get a side-line in writing motivational posters for offices, I tell him.

You can catch Tom tonight at the Belvedere in Weymouth and on Sunday night at The George in Dorchester.

Moving on, and it’s always good to welcome the re-opening of a pub, and even more so when they’re planning to feature live music to bring the punters in.

And that’s the case with The Rock on Abbotsbury Road in Weymouth which is back in action again.

Starting tonight, Friday, January 6, with a treat for you weekend swingers courtesy of The Duke and The Broad and their Rat Pack show, featuring the music of Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin, Peggy Lee and the like.

And tomorrow, Saturday, January 7, they’ve ordered in extra quiche and pizza for notorious buffet demolishers and instant party performers Freezer. The Merchants of Ice are promising a free leftover mince pie for the first 5,000 punters through the door.

Till next time…

GIG GUIDE

TONIGHT (6)

Bad Intention (Finns, Weymouth)

Elijah Wolf and Friends (Royal Portland Arms, Portland)

Acoustic Session (Victoria Inn, Chickerell, Weymouth)

Mike Walker (Weymouth Workies)

Sheryl Lee (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Tom Toomey (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Billy Solo (Wellington, Weymouth)

Remix (Park, Weymouth)

Southern Sinners (Café Jagos, Dorchester)

Duke and the Broad (Rock, Weymouth)

Slipstream (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

Karen Kay (Black Dog, Weymouth)

SATURDAY (7)

Rule The World (Weymouth Pavilion) Take That tribute.

The Mighty Fine (Finns, Weymouth)

Vinyl Monkeys (Sailors Return, Weymouth)

The Katz (Conservative Club, Weymouth)

Ashley Day (Weymouth Working Mens Club)

The Usual Suspects (Wyke Regis Working Mens Club, Weymouth)

Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Freezer (Rock, Weymouth)

Diane (Bridge Inn, Preston, Weymouth)

Perfect Strangers with Adam Sweet (Bull’s Head, Dorchester)

Matt Black (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Drive By Jamming (Market House, Weymouth)

The Red Crow (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Rocking Rich (Black Dog, Weymouth)

JD Acoustic (Lugger, Chickerell, Weymouth)

Behind Closed Doors (Ropemakers, Bridport)

SUNDAY (8)

Vampires Rock (Weymouth Pavilion)

Kathy (Royal Portland Arms, Portland)

Tom Toomey (George, Dorchester)

Ricky Solo (Sailor’s Return, Weymouth) From 3pm.

Sheryl Lee’s Sunday Club (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth) 7pm.

Farrago (Globe, Weymouth) 4.30pm.

Sir Robert of Ryan (Belvedere, Weymouth) 4-6pm.

David Hackett (Revolution, Trinity Road, Weymouth) 2-4pm.

Leanne Jackson (Black Dog, Weymouth) 3pm.

Roger’s Singalong (Gloucester, Weymouth)

MONDAY (9)

Acoustic session (Belvedere, Weymouth)

TUESDAY (10)

Ansell and Gretal (Boot, Weymouth)

Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Dougie Cooper’s Jazz Night (Star, Weymouth)

WEDNESDAY (11)

Wessex Folk Night (Sailors Return, Weymouth)

Open Mic Night (Royal Exchange, Portland)

Open Mic (Bull, Fordington, Dorchester)

THURSDAY (12)

Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Open Mic (George, Dorchester)

Traditional Tune Session (Cove House Inn, Portland)

Ukulele Sessions (Sailors Return, Weymouth)

FRIDAY (13)

No Standard (Finns, Weymouth)

Suzy Mac (Weymouth Working Mens Club)

Darren H (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Kathy (Park, Weymouth)

Kipper (Belvedere, Weymouth)