APRIL IS IN full swing, and you know what that means: a grand stretch.

In order to make the most of the lengthening evenings – and summer nights peeping over the horizon – you need to get informed. That’s where we come in. We’ve selected the best events going on up and down the country this month for your perusal.

(And just in case you’re not a live music kind of person, we’ve got you covered with the month’s latest cinema releases too.)

Dig in, dive deep and get your diaries out – here’s the best this month has to offer.

Dublin

• Sharon Van Etten, Vicar Street, 23 April. American singer-songwriter from Brooklyn, with echoes of the folk tradition. Tickets here.
• Ben Pearce, The Academy, 24 April. Tickets here. British DJ who co-founded Purp & Soul record label, playing his unique blend of deep house.
• Sea Legs album launch, with Liza Flume, 16 April, Smock Alley Theatre. Presented by alternative, independent promoters Homebeat. Grab tickets here.

Munster

• Music Network presents The April Verch Band, St John’s Theatre, Listowel, 7 May. Americana-influenced bluegrass, western swing and trad.
• Red Hurley, Friars’ Gate Theatre, Kilmallock, Limerick. Smooth vocal magic, originals and covers. €20, 18 April, tickets here.
• A Grand Night For Singing, showcase by Montfort College of Performing Arts. 13/14 April, Cork Arts Theatre. Information here.

Leinster

• We Banjo 3, National Opera House, Wexford.  11 April (also an Irish national tour, details here.)
• Bjork: Biophilia Live. Screening of Icelandic singer’s innovative film. Mermaid Arts Centre, Wicklow, 10 April. Info here.

Ulster

• Lower Than Atlantis, 18 April, Queen’s University, Belfast. Gigging the band’s latest, fourth album. Early gig.
• Barry Steele’s Roy Orbison & Friends, 22 April, Millenium Forum, Derry. Film footage – original and new – backs this band that brings you on a journey through time. Tickets here.

Connaught

• Elaine Page: I’m Still Here. Mayo Movie World are screening her sell-out Farewell Concert from the Royal Albert Hall, accompanied by a live set with special guests. Special live Q&A also on the night. 23 April, 7.15pm, €12.50.
• Music Circle, 2 May, National Museum of Ireland Turlough Park. Dust down your fiddle, polish that whistle and join the music circle. Info here.

Get your tickets for…

These are gigs that you should be grabbing tickets for while they’re hot.

• Soweto Spiritual Singers – playing the National Opera House in Wexford in June.
• Take That – coming to Dublin and Belfast in May. Altogether now: “Want you back, want you back for good…”
• Forbidden Fruit - tickets on sale now. A collaborative fusion of music, art, comedy and fashion across three days. 29-31 May, IMMA.

Have you got any gigs planned for April? Anything we’ve missed? Share the wealth in the comments.

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