* THE weekend well and truly lands tomorrow, with a night of tunes by Radio 1’s Annie Mac.

The DJ, pictured, whose Friday evening show goes out to more than a million people, appears at the O2 Academy Oxford as part of a night of cutting-edge dance music.

Playing everything from electro and dubstep, to techno and drum & bass, we can’t overstate Annie’s influence, with countless acts coming to prominence through her support.

Also playing is London producer Copy Paste Soul - whose warm yet warped brand of lively deep house is described by Annie as ”gorgeous”. He will be joined on the decks by Em Williams and James Weston, of Simple. Tickets are £14 in advance from wegottickets.com

 

* JUMP-jive blues masters The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band continue on their never-ending mission to get the county dancing, with a show at the O2 Academy Oxford on Saturday.

Stuart, Muggsy, Bunny and the crew bring their prohibition-era style swing to the Cowley Road in support of the mighty Ska Cubana. Mixing up the music of Jamaica and Cuba with the blues of New Orleans and calypso of Trinidad, this is tropical music to put some skank in your tank. Unmissable. Tickets £18.40 from seetickets.com

* A GREAT bill of indie-rock, pop and blues artists line up to play for a gig with a heart.

Meursault, Family Machine, These Are Our Demands and Huck come together on Monday for a show at The Cellar to raise cash for Helen and Douglas House hospice. The show is a tribute to gig-goer Leila Soltau who recently died at the hospice.

Edinburgh’s Meursault, who are currently touring new album Something For The Weakened, are one of those bands who consistently attract the label ‘epic’, while Family Machine were Leila’s favourite Oxford band.

Her friend, PinDrop promoter Seb Reynolds, said: “The staff at Helen and Douglas House were amazing and a group of friends and I who loved Leila wanted to give something back.”

Doors open at 7.30pm. Entry is by a minimum donation of £6, with further generosity encouraged. All proceeds will be donated to Helen and Douglas House.

* THE biggest buzz this week is probably reserved for the Mercury prize nominated indie-pop four-piece alt-J, who play the O2 Academy Oxford tomorrow.

The show follows the release of the Leeds band’s widely-acclaimed debut album An Awesome Wave, and is all too predictably sold out. If you have a ticket, tell us what you think.