Well, here we are again in the annual post TT slump. After two weeks of gigs, late nights and bad diets, the island has one again fallen quiet for another year. Well, not quite!

There are still a few bands to be found out there, not wishing to rest and to keep entertaining the locals in the various bars, pubs and clubs of the island.

Ian Thompson heads to his now regular slot at Jaks Bar in Douglas this Friday night.

He features classics from The Kinks, David Bowie, The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, R.E.M, and the like in his setlist.

Ian will also be playing a selection of tracks from his soon to be released debut album via U.S. label, The Spectra Music Group.

For more information about Ian, his music, his forthcoming shows and news of the release of his impending new album, please visit www.ianthompsonuk.com

Manx live scene regulars Borderline are also out and about this weekend.

Sighting influences from the likes of Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Robert Cray, Albert King, BB King, Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, and Jerry Lee Lewis, the band features Heinrich Koop, Keith Randall, Alan Presford and Nigel Johnson in their line-up have honed their set nicely with a barrage of live dates around the island in the last few years.

The band appears at The Queen’s in Laxey on Friday and The Queen’s, Douglas, on Saturday.

Heading out west, 9 Mile Smile will be knocking out a couple of numbers at the Creek this Saturday.

Local punks Crotch Lice will be leaving Manx shores and heading across to Ireland for three shows this forthcoming weekend.

The band, who feature Mike Cowley on vocals, Chris Clague on guitar, Matt Twist on drums and Harry Brendan Johnson on bass, are playing a short three-date tour of the Republic of Ireland, on a swift weekend-long jaunt.

The ambassadors for Manx punk will play at Emmets in Ballina tonight (Thursday), along with local band Cancrusher.

They then visit Dublin tomorrow (Friday), where they will play the at the legendary Fibbers Basement, along with a host of Dublin based punk bands, and they finish off in Cork on Saturday at Fred Zeppelin’s, alongside Irish bands The Nilz and Audible Joes.

That’s it for this week. If you have anything for inclusion in The Manx Sound Exchange, please email [email protected]