Essential gig guide

Micah P. Hinson

On tour 2-8 October

Texan Micah P. Hinson's sparse, bruised songs have a strange outsider beauty distinguishing him from the current glut of singer-songwriters. Live, Hinson pulls no punches, and these dates see him return to the UK with a full backing band. Listen out for "Jackeyed", a quirky tale of a crooked-toothed telesales girl who resembles a fairy.

The Lemonheads

On tour 5-22 October

"I want to be professional. I realise it's not about missing the show because you're on acid." This is Lemonheads linchpin Evan Dando on his upcoming gigs, the Gallagher brothers' erstwhile drug buddy back with his band's first album in 10 years. A studiously unhurried talent, he continues to make perky US college rock sound effortless.

Kathryn Williams

On tour 9 October-4 November

Williams's stock was never higher than during her year 2000 stint as the Mercury Music Prize's token folk nominee, but with her God is in the details approach to lyrics, she has quietly become one of English folk's great miniaturists. With her ace new horns, vibes and violin-bolstered album Leave To Remain out 2 October, it is time for her to stick her head above the parapet again. Williams has said that playing new songs for the first time embarrasses her, so look the other way while you applaud.

Peaches

On tour 11-13 October

Nobody does X-rated electro-rock better than Peaches. Her lewd, famously confrontational live shows were one-woman affairs until 2006, but she's now backed by a choice all-girl band that includes powerhouse drummer Samantha Maloney and former Courtney Love guitarist, Radio Sloan. Songs likely to be aired include "Tent In Your Pants" and "Fuck The Pain Away", so sing-alongs are not for the prudish. Rest assured, however, that the PVC cape-wearing, blood capsule crunching woman born Merrill Beth Nisker will entertain you to the max.

The Raconteurs

On tour 14-25 October

Imagine Jack White of The White Stripes' glee on forming The Raconteurs (pictured above) with Brendan Benson. One, he no longer had to dress exclusively in red and white, and two, he became part of an outfit joyously - not slavishly - in hock to such Brit-rock greats as Led Zeppelin and Free. For fans of the knowing, analogue-tooled guitar riff, these dates are the hot ticket for October, The Raconteurs hopefully picking up where they left off at this year's Reading Festival, where they played a searing cover of The Undertones' "Teenage Kicks".

New York Dolls

On tour 20-26 October

It takes a brave man to don the lippy at 56, but David Johansen and co have a fine comeback album to promote with One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This. It's a record on which Morrissey's favourite punk/glam band sound implausibly youthful - and a lot less shambolic than they did back in the day. The stack-heels are gone, but these shows should be a master-class in preening, primal, narcissism.

The Dears

On tour 20-26 October

Describing their music as "a quest for God", Montreal sextet The Dears don't do things by halves. The arrangements on current album Gang Of Losers always go the extra mile, while, influence-wise, frontman Murray Lightburn joins the dots between The Smiths and Marvin Gaye. His band's gigs tend to be darkly cathartic affairs, but you'll never catch Lightburn treading water: this real-life son of a preacher man is on a mission.