What’s on: Five things to do in Edinburgh 18/07/2012

Described by the LA Times as ‘one of rock’s most astute singer-songwriters of the last 40 years,’ Hiatt has earned every accolade. But success didn’t come easy.

Despite scoring a hit when rockers Three Dog Night charted with a cover of Sure As I’m Sittin’ Here in 1974, it was to be a long wait before he tasted commercial success in his own rightwith the 1987 breakthrough album Bring The Family.

His 2011 album Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns garnerer a new set of devotees. In the classic Americana style the gravelly-voiced guitarist tells stories via his songs, combining elements of blues, folk and country with old-fashioned rock.

In a world where music is so market-driven, the 59-year-old stands out as one of the last of a dying breed. A relaxed, sincere performer and consummate musician, make the most of him.

The Queen’s Hall, Clerk Street, 7pm £26, 0131-668 2019, www.thequeenshall.net

2 COMEDY: BENEFIT FOR ETHIOPIA LINK Raymond Mearns hosts this benefit gig for orphaned and abandoned children in Ethiopia, which also features Susan Morrison, Keir McAllister, Jay Lafferty and Gus Lymburn.

The Stand, York Place, 7.30pm, £10 (£8), 0131-558 7272

3 CLUB: SPLIT Edinburgh’s longest-running mid-week drum ‘n’ bass night featuring dubstep, glitch, techno and hip hop.

Bongo Club, Holyrood Road, 11pm, free, 0131-558 8844

4 film: ICE AGE 4- CONTINENTAL DRIFT 3D (U)

Scrat the sabre-toothed squirrel (voiced by Chris Wedge) sets off a tectonic chain reaction that threatens to destroy an entire continent in the latest chapter of the Ice Age series.

General release, various cinemas, times and prices

5 EXHIBITION: SCOTTISH PICTURES 1750-1950 Pictures by major Scottish artists.

Bourne Fine Art, 6 Dundas Street, 10am-6pm, free, 0131-557 4050