Live Music Highlights – March 2011

Cut Copy's new LP Zonoscope may be dividing the critics, but there's no dispute that they have the tools and the talent to put together an amazing live show. Supercharging '80s pop and electro with the driving rhythms of '90s dance culture and alt-rock is a neat trick and these style-savvy Aussies have a reputation for hitting adrenalised paydirt on the reg. Get physical at Glasgow Arches on 3 March.

Disconcertingly youthful Floridan five-piece Surfer Blood know that simple is best when you're trying to write crowd-pleasing indie rock. Basic Weezer-esque chord progressions, noisy guitars and lots of syrupy reverb flesh out their chunky, direct sound – fans of classic upbeat fuzz-pop should check them at Glasgow King Tut's on 5 March.

Whilst his beard may have remained steadfast over the years, the music of Sam Beam (aka Iron and Wine) has undergone quite an evolution over the last decade, from the hushed pastoral strains of 2002's The Creek Drank The Cradle to the sumptuously coy funk and lush instrumentation of this year's Kiss Each Other Clean. By all accounts the lad's put together quite a band to help him realise his new vision, so his gig at Edinburgh's HMV Picture House on 11 March comes highly recommended.

Whilst The Phantom Band's brilliant second album The Wants got its fair share of critical adulation, as is the way with so much Scottish talent, it didn't make quite the kind of splash that many of us expected. All the more reason then to show the home team some love when they play Edinburgh Cabaret Voltaire on 17 March. Glowering riffs, a powerhouse rhythm section and a delightful experimental streak make them a must-see. Support comes from fellow pigeonhole-dodgers FOUND whose new LP Factorycraft is out this month.

Formed in 1976 at the behest of Malcolm McLaren, Vic Godard & The Subway Sect seemed destined for great things following a series of incredible early performances and promising recording sessions, but mismanagement meant that the group never made good on their potential. Sporadic but impressive releases from Godard in the interim have managed to keep the legend alive, and his performances at Glasgow Accies Cricket Club on 11 March, Edinburgh's Citrus Club on 12 March and Dundee Dexters on 13 March should be seen as something of a golden opportunity for anyone interested in the original punk scene.

Gogol Bordello are a band whose reputation precedes them; even if you've never heard a note of their music, you know about their riotous performances. For what it's worth, the music is great too – a swirling maelstrom of East-European influences and punk dynamism that's actually very carefully orchestrated. And the live show? It's just like you heard it was – except louder, sweatier and even more fun. Edinburgh HMV Picture House, 14 March.

Having spent the last few years palling around with Mark Lanegan (as The Gutter Twins), Greg Dulli dropped a stellar new Twilight Singers album last month and on 19 March he brings his band to Glasgow's Arches. Bruised-yet-refined confessional alt-rock of the highest order is assured.

Since Best Coast started shilling Converse and hanging backstage with Bieber we guess you're gonna need another retro-jangle-fuzz band to obsess over, right? Well fear not, fickle reader, NYC's The Babies can fill that void with 99% efficiency – and to the best of our knowledge none of their members are dating Otto from The Simpsons either. Catch their reverb-soaked wave at Glasgow Stereo on 19 March.

You can accuse Patrick Wolf of many things, but predictability is not one of them. With a new album – entitled Lupercalia – due to land in May, and a formidably varied back-catalogue at his disposal, we expect nothing less than pure entertainment when the dramatic multi-instrumentalist plays Glasgow's Òran Mór on 23 March.

Punk rock veteran T.V. Smith stops by Hustlers Pool Bar in Dundee on 27 March to play a 'best of The Adverts' set, ably assisted by Italian scene stalwarts The Valentines. This should be a straight-up history lesson in confrontational punk protest music – no pose, no pretense.

There are very few bands who can be counted on to absolutely blow you away but Deerhunter are undoubtedly one of them. Shimmering, textured noise; brilliant pop hooks; and impeccably crafted songs – they've got it all. Glasgow Òran Mór, 28 March.