IT’s a medical fact, universally acknowledged by the World Health Organisation and countless forward-thinking GPs, that a pint of cider counts towards the daily recommended intake of fruit or vegetables: You know, that five-a-day thing.

So if you’ve just had one pint, it makes perfect sense to have another four to help keep in shape, stay in the peak of health and ward off any nasty bugs and stuff that might be going around Go on, make it five, just to be sure, you never know, do you?

So it’s quite serendipitous that tomorrow, Saturday, August 19, marks the third Dorchester Cider Festival which takes place in the Borough Gardens from 3pm to 10pm.

So if you’ve always fancied tasting a Flowery Bottom, and I know I have, not only will there be huge range of lovely, lovely fruit-based refreshments for you to sample, there’s a proper job of live music to help it go down a treat.

It’s part of the Geneva Convention that no cider festival can take place without the superb Skimmity Hitchers. That is the LAW!

Now then, some call them folkies, some call them punks, some call them cidered-up chancers, but either way, they’re a top band and great fun.

Also playing are The Leggomen, who have been known to enjoy a light sherry before lunch and for whom five-a-day means the number of gigs they play.

Foxy fiery fiddler Nina Garcia and quality four-piece Koast will have your cider legs dancing in your wellies and the weather forecast for tomorrow is good to fair with a more than slight chance of jolly bants and ribald merriment.

Just remember, drink sensibly and look both ways when crossing the road, okay?

Meanwhile, it’s a big weekend for The Boat That Rocks over on Portland Marina with a double-bubble dollop of top live sounds.

Tonight, Friday, August 18, it’s Norn Iron’s premier exponent of harmonica-driven down and dirty blues and soul Billy Boy Miskimmin and his crack Mercy Lounge band.

And tomorrow, Saturday, August 19, it’s the return of the rather jolly good Electric Swing Circus, who have been taking their eclectic brand of gypsy jazz, hip-hop samples, funky gee-tars and all round good times around the UK and Europe festival circuit this summer, so it’s quite a big deal to have them on our doorstep, so to speak.

Next week, I’ll be giving the full run-down of all the live music events for the August bank holiday weekend, including the Quayside Festival and Boot bash in Weymouth, plus the events in Maumbury Rings in Dorchester, so if you’d like your gig included, send me your shizzle to gigs@dorsetecho.co.uk Till next time…

GIG GUIDE

TONIGHT (18)

Bad Manners, Mad Hatters (Weymouth Pavilion)

Dirtbox (Finns, Weymouth)

Wiggie (Weymouth Working Mens Club)

Maiden The Park (Park, Weymouth)

Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Toxic Fish (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Innocent Bystander (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Billy Solo (Wellington, Weymouth)

Drive By Jammin’ (New Vic, Weymouth)

Sheryl Lee (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Gut and Steel (Pilot Boat, Lyme Regis)

Danx (Duke of Albany, Weymouth)

Hustle (Spice Ship, Weymouth)

Finnian (Black Dog, Weymouth)

Amy Hopwood (Revolution, Trinity Road, Weymouth)

Billy Boy Miskimmin’s Mercy Lounge (Boat That Rocks, Portland Marina)

Regulation 9 (Royal Exchange, Portland)

Dirty Diesel Outlaw Orchestra (Ropemakers, Bridport)

Josh Elizer Matherick (Tom Browns, Dorchester)

The Mighty Fine (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

SATURDAY (19)

Skimmity Hitchers, Leggomen, Nina Garcia, Koast (Dorchester Cider festival, Borough Gardens, Dorchester)

Ultimate Beatles (Weymouth Pavilion)

The Worried Men (Finns, Weymouth)

The Mighty Fine (Sailors Return, Weymouth)

Tequila Mockingbird (Market House, Weymouth)

Steve Allen (Conservative Club, Weymouth)

Nite Lite (Weymouth Working Mens Club)

Sheryl Lee (Park, Weymouth)

The Katz (Wyke Regis Working Mens Club, Weymouth)

Haze (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

The Silhouettes, The Katz (Lugger, Chickerell, Weymouth) In the afternoon.

The Silhouettes (RBL Club, Portland)

Rockin’ Rich (Belvedere, Weymouth)

The Shakespearos (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Martin Freed (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Diane (Bridge Inn, Preston, Weymouth)

Karen (Black Dog, Weymouth)

The Tracks Band (Centenary Club, Weymouth)

The Wise Guys (Admiral Hardy, Weymouth)

Electric Swing Circus (Boat That Rocks, Portland Marina)

Surfing Birds (Rock, Weymouth)

Freak Circus (Ropemakers, Bridport)

Zoe Schwarz Blue Commotion (Tom Browns, Dorchester)

Tripod (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

The Ferals (Wyke Regis Social Club, Weymouth)

Du Kane (Boot, Weymouth) 3-6pm.

SUNDAY (20)

Martin Maton (Weymouth Working Mens Club)

Georgie Broad (Park, Weymouth)

Tim Andrews (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Minor Fret (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Jack Daniels Solo (Boot, Weymouth) 6-9pm.

Replay (Red Lion, Weymouth) 2-5pm.

Roger’s Singalong (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Skint Imperials (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Sheryl Lee (Black Dog, Weymouth)

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

Rat Pack (New Vic, Weymouth) From 2pm

Nina Garcia (New Vic, Weymouth)

Dave Phillips and Paul Sundt (Spice Ship, Weymouth) 5pm.

Mister John Maybey (Ropemakers, Bridport) 4pm.

MONDAY (21)

Tim Andrews (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Acoustic Session (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Blazing Strings (New Vic, Weymouth)

TUESDAY (22)

Tony H (Weymouth Working Mens Club)

Ansell and Gretal (Boot, Weymouth)

Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Acoustic Session (Rock, Weymouth)

Danny Adams (New Vic, Weymouth)

Martin Freed’s Open Mic (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

WEDNESDAY (23)

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)

Stacey Lou (New Vic, Weymouth)

Du Kane (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

THURSDAY (24)

Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Jim and James’s Room Temperature Sandwich (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Leggomen (George, Weymouth)

Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Tripod (New Vic, Weymouth)

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

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

Jam Night (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

Kathy (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

FRIDAY (25)

The Mighty Fine (Finns, Weymouth)

Helena Mace (Weymouth Working Mens Club)

Freak Circus (Park, Weymouth)

Chris Woodchuck (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

V8 Hearts (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

The Big Heavy (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Dakota (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Billy Solo (Wellington, Weymouth)

Drive By Jammin’ (New Vic, Weymouth)

Talia (Spice Ship, Weymouth)

Georgie Broad (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Elona Holt (Tom Browns, Dorchester)