The Last Dinner Party play the Roundhouse and Rough Trade East

THE familiar backroom stage of The Dublin Castle holds a special place in the heart of musicians through the ages, a place where countless bands made their start, those that made it have often returned and the likes of The Libertines, The Killers and Blur have all played. Such is its infamy that Madness, who got their start at the pub, recreated the venue’s stage for their tour and back in 2017 unveiled a Music Heritage Plaque to recognise its crucial role in shaping music history. So it’s no surprise that the venue features in the latest retelling of the late Amy Winehouse’s life, Sam Taylor-Johnson’s upcoming movie Back To Black – and filming was rightly done on-site. And so it should, having been one of Amy’s favourite places to hang out, serve customers and generally sprinkle her stardust.

• Tribes frontman Johnny Lloyd is a busy man – as well as playing with his band, he has released three solo albums, composed music for his partner Billie Piper’s I Hate Suzie series and co-written the soundtrack for Rare Beasts. He plays three nights in the intimate surrounds of Green Note on Feb 1, March 6 and April 2, where he will perform songs from all three of his solo albums with special guests.

• The darlings of now, The Last Dinner Party return to the Roundhouse on Feb 1. The captivating quintet had a landmark year last year, opening for The Rolling Stones at Hyde Park and making waves in the US and the UK with their breakthrough hit Nothing Matters. Support comes from Heartworms.

• Rough Trade East has a pretty decent line-up of in-store appearances coming up – definitely worth taking a look: Brad Stank (Jan 26); Tom Odell (Jan 27); Future Islands (Jan 28); Gruff Rhys (Jan 29); Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes (Jan 30); His Lordship (Jan 31); The Last Dinner Party (Feb 3).

• Artist, poet, musician and more, Billy Childish presents a day of poetry, folk and blues with his Billy Childish Spectacular at The Lexington on Jan 27. Be warned, this one starts early, with Part one – poetry and Singing Loins at 2pm, while Part two, from 4pm is more poetry and the Chatham Singers. Plus early birds might get a chance to grab a free 45 rpm record of The Chatham Singers limited 200 pressing.

• After their sold-out debut collaboration last year, classical guitarist Plínio Fernandes and violinist Braimah Kanneh-Mason regroup at Jazz Café on Jan 31 for a set of rare duets written by musicians from Serbia, Italy, Argentina, Spain, and beyond. Celebrating Plínio Fernandes South American heritage, the programme features movements from Astor Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango and compositions by guitar virtuoso Sergio Assad, as well as many more.

• The Sleeping Souls have toured with Frank Turner for six years. Now, they have branched out on their own, heading out on their first ever UK headlining tour with debut album Just Before The World Starts Burning. Stopping off at The Garage on Jan 27, they share the headlining spot with Sean McGowan while Hannah Rose Platt supports.

• South London folk trio Once A Fig mix traditional folk music with original compositions and improvisations. They play Aces & Eights on Jan 31.

• Experience an evening of music from Ukraine as Ukrainian Artists Shepa, Leve Shurov and Gio Dara unite at The Camden Club on Jan 31.

• Global house figure Louie Vega brings his Grammy-winning Elements of Life show to Here @ Outernet on January 26.

• More upcoming gigs: Jan 26 – Rialto + The Gulps, The Lexington; Darlingside, Lafayette; G-Flip, Koko; Oldboy and Locks, Third Man Records; Andy White, Canal Bar; Jan 26-27 – Dr Feelgood + Eddie and the Hot Rods, The Forge; Jan 27 – The Sleeping Souls, The Garage; Sicaria, Roundhouse; Eater + Bad Nerves + JoJo & The Teeth + Black Bordello + Tizane, Dingwalls; Adamlar, Islington Assembly Hall; 1985 Music – Alix Perez & guests, Roundhouse; Jan 28 – Lady Macbeth + The Kanz + Sonic Whip + Arya, The Fiddler’s Elbow; Michalis Hatzigiannis, Union Chapel; Jan 30 – The Olllam, Jazz Cafe; Margo Price, KOKO; Jason Isbell + Roseanne Reid, Union Chapel; Buffalo Nichols + Lando Manning, The Lexington; Kiefer, Islington Assembly Hall; Etta Marcus, The Garage; Del Water Gap, Electric Ballroom; Go Easy + Martial Arts + Velvetine, The Social; Jan 31 – James Marriott, KOKO; The Telling Unchained, The Old Queen’s Head; Feb 1 – Peter Coyle performs The Lotus Eaters LP No Sense of Sin, The Forge; The Snuts, Lafayette; Young Franco + Scrufizzer, Jazz Cafe; Rising Presents: Chisara Agor, Roundhouse Studio Theatre; Primitai + Hekz, The Black Heart; Hot Vox Presents – Cackle + Can’t Stop Talking + Frederik Ceder And The Roke + Red Town, The Old Queen’s Head; Good Lovelies, St Pancras Old Church; MF Tomlinson, Blue Basement, Third Man Records; Feb 1-3 – Jungle (DJ set) x KOKO Electronic, Koko; Feb 2 – Soulwax Tour, 2024, Roundhouse; The Mouse Outfit ft KOJ & Ayite, The Forge; FLUNK + Ruby Duff, The Forge; Joel Stoker + Turncoat Billy + LD Williams, 100 Club; Prussian Dolls + Concrete Natives, The Water Rats; Apashe, Koko; Soulwax tour 2024, Roundhouse; Feb 2-3 – Jocelyn Brown, Jazz Cafe; The Menzingers, Electric Ballroom; Feb 3 – The Magpie Arc, Indoor Festival of Folk, Cecil Sharp House; The False Dots + SOFT + In Between Honey + The Metropolitan Elite, The Dublin Castle; Margaret Glaspy, Lafayette; Feb 4 – Colosseum, The Forge; Feb 5 – Flunk, The Forge; Feb 5-6 – KODO, Barbican; Feb 6 – Glory and the Beast + Beast In Black + Glory Hammer + Brothers of Metal, The Forum; Airboxes, Betsey Trotwood; Psychobilly Kicks Back – charity all day festival against cancer, The Fiddler’s Elbow; Feb 7 – Marina Satti, The Garage; Elle Coves, Camden Assembly; Fatoumata Diawara, Koko; milk. Jazz Cafe; Feb 7-8 – Gruff Rhys, Kings Place; Feb 8 – Courting, Dingwalls; Sa-Roc, The Forge; Greywind, The Grace; Polevaulter, Old Blue Last; Jaxk J Hutchinson, Islington Academy.