May Live

There's loads happening in the city this month with the Brighton Festival (and Fringe) running from 6th - 28th May. We've also got a new music festival in the shape of The Great Escape, Barfly's answer to SXSW. Whatever you're into - live music, comedy, theatre, literature - there should be something for everyone. Here are my highlights for the month ahead:

03/05 - The talented members of The Libertines are back with their new band, Dirty Pretty Things, and play at the Concorde tonight.

04/05 - It's a double bill of comedy at Waterstones as Danny Wallace and Tony Hawks team up to promote their latest books. Danny will be reading from Yes Man, whilst Tony will be reading from his latest, A Piano In The Pyrenees.

06/05 - Another literary double header as the Brighton Festival kicks off with a rare opportunity to listen to Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club) and Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting) in conversation at the Corn Exchange.

07/05 - Following on from their talk yesterday, Chuck Palahniuk and Irvine Welsh return to the Corn Exchange for Stories In Motion, a multi-media happening with music from Phil Hartnoll (Orbital) and Nick Smith and visuals from various VJs.

08/05 - Brighton veterans The Levellers play a rare hometown gig at the Spiegeltent.

10/05 - Brighton hopefuls The Upper Room play at the Pressure Point to celebrate the launch of their great new single Black & White. Over at the Duke Of York's cinema there's a Q&A with Nick Broomfield following a screening of his latest documentary His Big White Self.

11/05 - After endless recommendations from Courtney I'm finally gonna check out The Dresden Dolls who will be performing their punk cabaret at the Concorde. Meanwhile Richard Herring is performing his excellent Someone Likes Yoghurt show at the Gardner Arts Centre - with any luck he might do his new routine about 'sky potatoes' too!

16/05 - Always an entertaining speaker, actor Richard E. Grant will be appearing at the Theatre Royal to talk about his career and his directorial debut, Wah-Wah.

18/05 - The Great Escape festival starts today - three nights, 15 venues, 150 bands, one wristband... but will you get in to see the bands that you want to see? Tonight's highlights include The Morning After Girls at the Concorde, The Feeling at the Komedia, The Bees at the Pressure Point, Tina Dico at Redroaster, The Like and The Upper Room both at the Spiegeltent, and probably best of all, British Sea Power and The Tenderfoot at the Zap Club.

19/05 - The Great Escape continues... tonight's highlights include Metric (another of Courtney's tips) at the Beach, The Pipettes at the Spiegeltent, Guillemots and Duels at the Komedia, and Richard Hawley at the Hanbury Ballroom.

20/05 - The final night of The Great Escape... tonight's highlights include The Futureheads and the amazing Serena Maneesh at the Beach, Kubb at the Komedia, The Kooks at the Spiegeltent, British Sea Power ( playing an acoustic set) at the Hanbury Ballroom, and Brakes at the Zap Club. Phew!

23/05 - Another gig at the Spiegeltent as Turin Brakes pitch up for a one-off performance.

26/05 - It doesn't seem long ago (that's bacasue it wasn't) that Hard-Fi were playing at the Concorde, but like James Blunt and the Kaiser Chiefs before them, they've moved up to the arena circuit within the space of twelve months, and now return for a date at the Brighton Centre.

27/05 - Fans of female singer/songwriters are spoilt for choice today. Bic Runga is playing at the Spiegeltent to promote her new album Birds, whilst Nerina Pallot is playing at St. Georges Church, Kemptown - she'll also be performing a short set in Borders, Churchill Square at 2pm.

28/05 - Nicolas Roeg, director of Performance, Don't Look Now and The Man Who Fell To Earth will be in conversation at the Duke Of York's cinema to discuss his life in movies.