Edinburgh Under Surveillance: May

With Triptych over and the summer festivals still only a glint at the end of the tunnel, you might think that May would be kinda lacking in live music. But you'd be oh-so-wrong. As Dave excitedly mentioned in this space last month, the Liquid Room celebrates its tenth birthday with an impressively randomized line-up, including Mogwai, Roy Ayers and the Gangsta from Paradise himself, Coolio.

Elsewhere, straddling the Forth like an endangered, furry suspension bridge is Tigerfest. Although the majority of this mini-fest will take place in Dunfermline's Carnegie Hall (hosting such acts as Camera Obscura and Nouvelle Vague), the Edinburgh strand sees a host of local talented types plying their wares over several weekends at some of the city's more intimate venues (check listings for details). Travelling along the M8 for the occasion will be alt-rockers De Rosa, art-popsters The Low Miffs and SXSW botherers Popup, while representing the east will be Edinburgh locals Five Day Hemingway and The Stantons, Dundonians The Kays Lavelle and Fifers Das Contras.

Not to be outdone, new venue on the block Octopus Diamond has amassed a crazily eclectic line-up for May. New night, The Gentle Invasion, brings a mix of "post folk, tradigital, slo-fi and other home-made genres" on the 9th, while Milk Milk Lemonade on the 19th features a live collaboration between members of Live Sciences, the Abdominal Snowmen and Orkestra Del Sol. Perhaps the pick of the bunch is the head-to-head between Mystery Juice and Preston Pfanz & the Seaton Sands on the 31st.

But if all this new music is just too risky for you, then a true legend comes to town in the form of Ray Davies of the Kinks. Get down to the Festival Theatre on 7 May to see if he's still got what it takes to go all day, and all of the night. [Nick Mitchell]