Jonathan Trew: This weekend, it’s all about the music

Back in the late Seventies and early Eighties, the former Dexys Midnight Runners’ frontman had bags of attitude, a very definite sense of his own style and a number of very big hits.

These days, he seems to have lost his Midnight Runners and is performing as simply Dexys. Actually, some of his original band are back in the fold, so it might be more accurate to say that he has lost the Midnight Runners name rather than the actual personnel. Either way, his band have been in the studio and a new album, One Day I’m Going to Soar, the band’s first since 1985, is scheduled to be released in June. The last time that Rowland really made a splash in the public consciousness was when he promoted his 1999 solo album My Beauty. To do this, he took the unusual step of appearing at the laddish Reading Festival in an unfortunately short white dress. It’s good to have him back, seemingly on fine form musically and somewhat dressed down.

Sticking with the veteran theme, New Order play the O2 Academy in Glasgow tonight and Edinburgh’s Usher Hall tomorrow evening. Bassist Peter Hook isn’t with them but the gigs should still be a wonderful walk down memory lane for those who were too spangled to remember them the first time around.

Of a similar vintage if not musical style, both The Big Dish and Love and Money headline tonight and tomorrow night respectively at the 11th Darvel Music Festival. Taking into account special guests such as Monica Queen, formerly of Thrum, the gig line-up includes a considerable swathe of Scotland’s soul, funk and pop glitterati from the last two to three decades.

Or head north for the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival where admiring Scotland’s national drink is the main, but not sole, focus. Hotly tipped contemporary folk band Breabach rock Warehouse No.1 at the Glenfiddich distillery tonight and that will be worth raising a glass to.

• www.dexys.info; www.newordernow.net; www.darv elmusicfestival.org; www.spiritofspeyside.com