It seems like this is the week to be out on the town if you are a fan of the heavier end of the music spectrum.

So without even stopping to have a dig at a single cover band, (which I was again accused of belittling this week, in a rather bizarre confrontation in Co-op, of all places!) it’s eyes down for a full house.

Starting as we mean to go on, Riffs Bar is hosting another heat of its Bloodstock Battle of The Bands tonight which sees Without Consequence, Acts of Brutality and Brink of Reason all fighting it out for places in the semi final.

The 12 Bar also chips in its fair share tonight. Headlining are Bristol band The Chimerical, who manage to mix the accessibility of Britpop with the sucker punch of grunge. A band who I can’t recommend highly enough, SkyBurnsRed, take the middle slot, blending alt-rock power with eastern rhythms and wonderful violin washes, and kicking off are IX, all cinematic metal and industrial soundscapes; imagine Trent Reznor writing songs of Opeth.

It’s all about bands and burlesque at The Victoria, the music this time coming in the shape of rockabilly outfit Josie and The Outlaw, and if Celtic-fringed folk-rock is more your thing then get down the Beehive for a bit of Missin’ Rosie.

Friday at The Victoria is all about the most contemporary of sounds. The Icarus Youth will be bringing their brilliant weave of rock, urban and alternative sounds – always a brilliant live experience – while supporting is a familiar face launching a new musical vehicle. After seven years’ fronting the eight-legged rave that was Old School Tie, James Cameron wastes no time in unleashing Weather Storms on the world – a blend of dub, electronic, garage and epic post rock.

It’s all about the old school punk at Riffs Bar, with Useless Eaters, and a welcome return to these parts for Nobody’s Heroes, who between them deliver the sound and the spirit of the first generation punk movement.

Okay, now two quick questions. Anyone remember Toploader? Anyone able to name anything other than “that damned song?” Thought not. Well, they are at The MECA, but for my money it’s worth getting there early to catch support band A&T, an eclectic firestorm of hip-hop, funk and rock.

Staying at The MECA for Saturday and it’s your chance to indulge yourself in a bit of New Wave of British Heavy Metal with ODS - Oliver/Dawson Saxon, supported by the biggest band ever to come out of Whitley Bay, Tygers of Pan Tang. Patched denim jacket? Check! Ammo belt? Check! Whiff of Patchouli Oil and Old Holborn? Check! Ahh…those were the days.

If you can’t afford the real thing, Metalhead at The Rolleston (again!) come a close second.

Things get really heavy down at The 12 Bar with South-West Hardcore’s regular outing catering for all things musical aggressive with The Hotel Ambush, The Argent Dawn, Moments Before Oblivion and Go Out With a Bang.

In competition for a slice of the same audience, The Furnace takes a more pop-punk, but nevertheless feisty, tack with ScreamDontWhisper! Third Place Victory, Boy Set Sail and Sell Your Sky.

Something a bit different can be found in the form of The Reggae Riddim Club at The Victoria.

After all that loud and shouty stuff, Sunday will seem like an oasis of tranquillity. The Beehive’s afternoon slot is filed with local swing blues stalwarts, The Teddy White Band, and The Arts Centre’s regular Lazy Sunday Afternoon show features the historically aware, pop-folk residents Mr Love and Justice and guests Daniel James and Bateleurs.

And if that is your sort of thing, cap it off with a trip to The Rolleston that evening to catch the infectious, virtuosic and foot-stompingly upbeat, Grubby Jack.

The week rounds off on Wednesday with two options. Theo Altieri and Ian Payne play The Running Horse session, while at The Victoria, Sierra Hurtt and her band alchemise everything from chilled folk to blues and from cool Latin to jazz to sultry soul and come off like a less ethereal and more worldly-wise Sade.