Praise the lord and hallelujah, after endless agonising weeks, weeks that tuned into months, months that turned into years, it’s finally, at long last, over and done with.

After ceaseless and at times senseless claim and counter-claim, interminable arguments and at times an overwhelming sense of futility and hopelessness, we’ve reached an inevitable conclusion.

No, no, NOOO, not Brexit, it’s something that seems to have been going on a lot longer than that: January …. is … over.

I don’t know how we’ve managed to get through it, it seems to be have been with us since, well, last year really.

And there’s plenty to look forward to, not least the return of The Leylines to Dorchester.

Their gig last February at the Old Ship was a total stormer and sold out with just a few days so that’s why I’m giving you plenty of notice for this one which takes place on Saturday, March 14, again at the county town pub.

Now in their eight year, the band’s genre defying mix of folk, punk, rock and just about everything else has made them regulars on the UK festival circuit with slots at Glastonbury, Beautiful Days, Godney Gathering and many other field-based knees-ups.

As Kev Davis from promoters Fuelled By Cider tells me: “The Leylines have been one of the most talked about bands at Fuelled By Cider festivals and it's a real coup to bring them back to Dorchester town this spring.”

Support comes from singer-songwriter and leading U-bend consultant Edd Bleach plus Bristol’s emerging punk-folk trio Nasty Fishmonger, who will be playing their own original tunes, plus choice covers from such artists as Skate Bush, Salmon Dave and Fleetwood Mackerel.*

(*This is clearly not true but if you can think of a better chance to incorporate fish-based puns, let minnow, okay?)

Tickets are £10 in advance and available from www.fuelledbycider.com or in person from The Old Ship Inn on High West Street. Door price is £12.

Moving on, and it’s quite amazing to think that the great Freddie Mercury left us almost 30 years ago.

Universally regarded as one of the greatest frontmen ever, he left us with a quite brilliant legacy of timeless music as the much-lauded film Bohemian Rhapsody reminds us.

As always, there’s a host of tribute bands helping to keep the music of Freddie and Queen very much alive.

Queen Rhapsody (ah, see what they did there?) are one of the UK’s leading such homage-ists and they be descending to our earth from the skies with a show at Weymouth Pavilion next Saturday, February 8.

Expect to hear all the biggies, Radio Ga Ga, We Will Rock You, Somebody to Love, Killer Queen plus many, more and quite a of posturing about in leotards and crowns which is, quite frankly, very, very frightening but none the less totally magnificoooooooooo.

Tickets are £25 from the Pavilion box office on 01305 783225.

If you’d live your live music event featured in the Echo Gig Guide, email your details to echogigguide@outlook.com.

Till next time…

NICK HORTON

FRIDAY 31

The Rolling Stones Story (Weymouth Pavilion)

Biproxy (Finn’s, Weymouth)

Something Borrowed (Weymouth Working Mens Club)

Glass Spiders (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Revolution (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

Tripod (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

The Rat Pack (John Gregory, Weymouth)

Mojo (King’s Arms, Weymouth)

Nina Garcia (Brewhouse and Kitchen, Dorchester)

Ricky Solo’s Brexit Party (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Olly Coe Trio (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Stacey Lou (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Sheryl Lee (Black Dog, Weymouth)

Milk & Two (Club Bambooza, Weymouth)

SATURDAY 1

The Shakespearos (Finn’s, Weymouth)

Fluke (Sailors Return, Weymouth)

Kathy (Weymouth Conservative Club)

Higher Ground duo (Weymouth Working Mens Club)

V8 Hearts (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

The Originals (RBL Club, Marnhull)

Bring Me the Pistols (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

Tequila Mockingbird (King’s Arms, Weymouth)

Regulation 9 (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Alexis (Little Ship, Portland)

Lithium (Hardy’s, Dorchester)

Aaron and Karina (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Cuba Libre (Tom Brown’s, Dorchester)

Barry Paull as Elvis (Wyke Regis Working Mens Club, Weymouth)

Georgie Broad (Black Dog, Weymouth)

Stevie P (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Replay (Centenary Club, Weymouth)

SUNDAY 2

Freezer (Three Compasses, Charminster) 6-8pm.

Sheryl Lee’s Sunday Club (King’s Arms, Weymouth) 4pm.

Skint Imperials (George, Portland) 4-7pm.

Mark Davis (Black Dog, Weymouth) 4-7pm.

Georgie Broad (Britannia, Portland )

Ricky Solo (Sailor’s Return, Weymouth) From 3pm.

Du Kane (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Sunday Blues Jam (Belvedere, Weymouth) 5-8pm. Note the slightly later time, jam fans.

MONDAY 3

Americana Jam (Drax Arms, Bere Regis)

Acoustic session (Belvedere, Weymouth)

TUESDAY 4

Acoustic Session (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth) 8pm

WEDNESDAY 5

Jersey Beats: Oh What a Night (Weymouth Pavilion)

Dave Bowen and Jazz Friends (Three Compasses, Charminster)

Wessex Folk Night (Sailors Return, Weymouth) Acoustic folk, here every Wednesday.

Open Mic Night (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

THURSDAY 6

Traditional Tune Session (Cove House Inn, ChiswelI, Portland)

Ukulele Sessions (Sailors Return, Weymouth) Strum on down from 8pm.

Open Mic with Rob Davis (Belvedere, Weymouth)

FRIDAY 7

TBC (Finn’s, Weymouth)

Ruff Cuts (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

Milk and Two (John Gregory, Weymouth)

The Shakespearos (Park, Weymouth)

Stevie P (King’s Arms, Weymouth)

Guns of Navarone (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Martin Maton (Weymouth Working Mens Club)

Alexander Soul Man (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Don Tucker (Wyke Regis Working Mens Club, Weymouth)

Acoustic Session (Victoria Inn, Knights in the Bottom, Chickerell, Weymouth) 8pm.