Folk gig of the week: Steve Earle & the Dukes (and Duchesses), various venues

After many solo visits, Steve Earle returns with the Dukes, Duchesses and one of his best albums in years. Fiddles, barrelhouse piano, banjo, Stonesy guitar and lap steel feature on the The Low Highway.

He's got a new kind of voice, too; less growled, just as travelled. It's the first time he's had the band behind him since 1987, so expect a setlist going back to Guitar Town.

Symphony Hall, Birmingham (0121 780 3333; thsh.co.uk) Monday; RFH, London SE1 (020 7960 4200; southbankcentre.co.uk) Tuesday; Sage, Gateshead (0191 443 4666; thesagegateshead.org) Thursday; Colston Hall, Bristol (0117 922 3686; colstonhall.org) Friday