ROCK / Gigs

BOB DYLAN

The Sixties hero turned shuffling CD jukebox plays his first dates since, er, America last November. A familiarity with his last two discs Under The Red Sky and Good As I've Been To You (Sony) would be an advantage, since He likes to stay 'with-it' - despite the wishes of many of His fans. Musicians: Tony Garnier on bass, Johnny Jackson (who replaced G E Smith) on lead guitar, Ian Wallace on drums, Williams Baxter on slide guitar / mandolin, Winston Watson Jnr on percussion.

Fri Dublin; Sun, Mon, Tue London Hammersmith Apollo

CHRIS REA

Dependable blues-pop. Untaxing, but a little melancholy.

Fri Bournemouth BIC; Sun Shepton Mallet Showering Pavilion; Tue, Wed Brighton Centre

ACR

Ne A Certain Ratio. The new CD Up In Downsville (robsrecords) is great anthemic dance music, early techno.

Fri Cardiff Uni; Sat Derby Wherehouse

PANTERA

Metal from the angriest band in the world. A Vulgar Display Of Power is the CD to clear out your dinner guests.

Wed Nottingham Rock City

DEJA VU

Club lads with guitars, on a faintly 'Balearic' tip.

Fri London SW1 Club; Sat Birmingham Institute

BELLY

Riding a wave of popularity, and deservedly so. Former Throwing Muse Tanya Donelly has added some tunes to the usual guitar discord and come up trumps on the new CD Star (4AD). Cranberries support.

Wed Manchester Uni

CORNERSHOP

Band of the month: young, tuneless and half- British, half-Asian. Late night.

Fri London Camden Underworld

GRETSCHEN HOFNER

The dark side of rockabilly.

Mon London Marquee

FUN DA MENTAL

Another Brit-Asian (or just Asian, as MC Bad- Sha Lallaman prefers to be called) band on an issues-led mission to mix ragga, rap and western dance music. Oldham has the third largest Asian population in the UK, so the place will be crammed. Transglobal Underground support.

Fri Oldham Queen Elizabeth Hall

LOST IN MUSIC SEMINAR

Learn how to be in a band for a fiver, and get to see The Wedding Present play in the evening.

Sat London T&C (noon-6pm)

ROOTS CLUB

Instrumental in the revival of roots (ie traditional, 'conscious' reggae, as opposed to raggamuffin) reggae clubs. Tonight Manasseh and Lloydie Coxsone.

Sun London Vauxhall Arches (info 071-737 1344)

THE GLORY HOLES

New gay club in South King St. They play house.

Sat Manchester Bar Kay (info 061-237 9460)

LABI SIFFRE

Folksy soul brother, who wrote Madness's 'It Must Be Love'.

Sun London Ronnie Scott's

COUNTRY, JAZZ & WORLD MUSIC

THE HAPPY END

The left-wing thrash-folk band's show No Parasan, which uses Catalan musicians and folk songs to reflect on the turbulent history of 20th- century Spain.

Tonight London South Bank Purcell Room

LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III

Country singer into self-mockery and self-exploration. Very funny.

Sat London Royal Festival Hall; Sun Nottingham Theatre Royal; Tue, Wed Oxford Playhouse

ROY AYERS

Very cool vibesman.

Fri, Sat; 8-12 Feb Birmingham Ronnie Scott's; Sun 7 th Blackheath Concert Halls

STEPHANE GRAPPELLI

An extra date in extra time for the 85-year-old fiddler.

Sat, Mon London Barbican Hall

MICHEL PETRUCCIANI

French jazz pianist, great improvisor and Ellington interpreter.

Wed London Queen Elizabeth Hall