AS today is Friday the thirteenth, the paraskevidekatriaphobiacs amongst us will be throwing black cats over their shoulders, avoiding ladders or broken paving slabs, looking in the mirror or opening an umbrella indoors.

But you’re in luck however if you’re looking for top drawer live music tonight.

Fr’instance, you could spend An Evening with Hazel O’Connor, the 80s starlet currently touring to mark the 37th anniversary of the film Breaking Glass which launched her into stardom hyperspace.

Hazel will be performing with saxophonist Clare Hirst, who can list The Belle Stars, The Communards and one David Bowie on her CV, and Sarah Fisher, a former Eurythmics keys whiz, at The Exchange in Sturminster Newton tonight, Friday, October 13.

They’ll be reviving many of Hazel smashes, including Eighth Day, and Will You? and tickets at £20 are available from the box office on 01258 475137.

Now then, if you’re a hip young gunslinger like me (and you clearly are as you’re reading this…), you’ll be aware that BBC Introducing is celebrating its tenth birthday.

And over the past decade, they’ve introduced (Gah, just worked out how they got the name…) such artists as Ed Sheeran, Florence Welch (pre-her Machine) and George Ezra to the seething unwashed hoi polloi that is you and I.

So they clearly know what they’re on about when they give someone the thumbs up which is what they’ve done with North London singer-songwriter River Child, of whom they opine: “He’s fantastic. We like this a lot.”

And you have the chance to hear what all the fuss is about tonight, Friday, October 13, from 7.30pm at the compact and bijou Revolution coffee bar and vinyl emporium on Trinity Road by Weymouth harbourside when River Child will be performing some of his rather cool tunes, hailed as a laid-back hybrid of Oasis and Paul Weller.

Numbers are limited so register your attendance with the management by pinging a message to team@revolutionvinylcafe.com so they know how much cake to put out and get in quick on the next big thing.

And finally, they say if you can remember the Sixties, you obviously weren’t there.

And the same could be said of Weymouth club Verdis, which was THE place to go back in the day, that day being late 80s and 90s and the early Naughties.

Supremely bossed by the late Mike Shalts, a seemingly endless parade of name bands played there, including Ash, Reef and Steve Marriott’s Packet of Three, and it was the venue where virtually the entire population of South Dorset misspent their youth, surfing a wave of cider and blackcurrant and Newcastle Brown, straight out the bottle.

A simple posting on Facebook by Hannah Topliss a few months ago has snowballed into an unstoppable force with a reunion party night to be held at the Belvedere in Weymouth next Saturday, October 21.

As Hannah tells me: “Within a few days of me posting a couple of pictures, I had more than 500 likes and it seemed a good idea to get people back together and see some some familiar faces.

“Some of my favourite bands I saw there were Ash, Sponge and Root Juice and we’ll be reviving the sounds of that era next Saturday with DJ duo Future Sound of Weymouth,” she adds.

Sounds like the makings of a top night.

Till next time...

GIG GUIDE

TONIGHT (13)

Genesis Connected (Weymouth Pavilion)

Black is the Colour of My Voice: the Nina Simone Story (Bridport Arts Centre)

Hazel O’Connor (The Exchange, Sturminster Newton)

Mad Hatters (Finns, Weymouth)

Bianca (Weymouth Working Mens Club, Weymouth)

River Child (Revolution, Trinity Rd, Weymouth)

Joe Ryan and Paul Sundt (Belvedere, Weymouth)

The Remedy (Park, Weymouth)

The Silhouettes (Kimberlin Club, Portland)

Dakota (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Elijah Wolf (Royal Portland Arms, Portland)

Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Revolution (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

Jack Humphries (Tom Browns, Dorchester)

Strings and Reeds (Duke of Albany, Weymouth)

Jake and Grace (Beach and Barnicott, Bridport)

Retro (Black Dog, Weymouth)

Minor Fret (Kings Arms, Weymouth)

Junco Shakers (Ropemakers, Bridport)

SATURDAY (14)

Turin Brakes, Tom Speight (Electric Palace, Bridport)

Bad Intention (Finns, Weymouth)

Stereoironics (Sailors Return, Weymouth)

Neil Wale (Conservative Club, Weymouth)

Higher Ground Duo (Weymouth Working Mens Club, Weymouth)

The True Stays (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Total Madness (Park, Weymouth)

Jolly Boys Outing (Royal Exchange, Portland)

Johnny King as Elvis (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Silhouettes (Wyke Regis Working Mens Club, Weymouth)

Haze (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Rip It Up (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

The Diamonds (Centenary Club, Weymouth)

Tom Clements (Tom Browns, Dorchester)

JoJo (Duke of Albany, Weymouth)

Sheryl Lee (Black Dog, Weymouth)

Steve Nicholas (Bridge Inn, Preston, Weymouth)

Skinful (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

Hobo Jones and the Junkyad Dogs, John D Revelator, Samantics, Sadie Horler, Devil’s Prefects and many more (Ropemakers, Bridport) In aid of Bridport Foodbank. From 3pm.

SUNDAY (15)

Paul Sharod and Adam Chevis (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Roger Mac’s Singalong (Gloucester, Weymouth)

The Shakespearos (Bull’s Head, Fordington, Dorchester) 4pm.

David Lumas (Royal Portland Arms, Portland)

Tim Andrews (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth) 3pm, followed by

Darren H (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

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

Scots Dan’s Open Mic (Duke of Albany, Weymouth)

Johnny Mac (Black Dog, Weymouth) 4-7pm.

Folk, Country and Blues Evening (Old Town hall, Weymouth) From 7.30pm.

Finn (Kings Arms, Weymouth) 3pm.

Farrago (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Mark Davis (Boot, Weymouth) 5-8pm.

MONDAY (16)

Acoustic Jam (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Tim Andrews (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

TUESDAY (17)

Jazz Sessions (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Acoustic Session (Rock, Weymouth)

The Leggomen (Boot, Weymouth)

WEDNESDAY (18)

Tim Andrews (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Wessex Folk Night (Sailors Return, Nicholas Street, Weymouth) Acoustic folk, here every Wednesday.

Open Mic Night (Royal Exchange, Portland)

Open Mic (Bull, Fordington, Dorchester)

THURSDAY (19)

Soapbox (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Leggomen (George, Weymouth)

Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Traditional Tune Session (Cove House Inn, ChiswelI, Portland)

Ukulele Sessions (Sailors Return, St Nicholas St, Weymouth) Strum on down from 8pm.

FRIDAY (20)

Dreadzone, Sub Giant (Electric Palace, Bridport)

Cuba Libre (Finns, Weymouth)

Retro (Weymouth Working Mens Club, Weymouth)

Acoustic Jam (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Acoustic Dolmen (Park, Weymouth)

Rich Baxter (Gloucester, Weymouth)

The Shakespearos (Royal Portland Arms, Portland)

Darren H (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Billy Solo (Wellington, Weymouth)

Rosie and Jenny (Tom Browns, Dorchester)

Tripod (Golden Lion, Weymouth)