It is, of course, now the eve of TT 2019 and the island goes into full swing for the next two weeks.

There are numerous venues and stages across the island showcasing the talents of our local bands and singer songwriters, plus the visiting bands from across the pond.

The Compton Vaults, down in Castletown have their first TT line-up confirmed, running from this Saturday onwards.

Over the next couple of weeks you can see the likes of Final Cut, Han-FX, Man In The Woods, Raine, Mutherfunkers, Last Drags, Dusty Plankton, The Birds and The Beards, Mae Challis, Sunset Jet, Moonshine Project, Slow Decay, Foxtrap, Fugue State and Post War Stories.

All bands start at about 9pm unless otherwise stated and further information can be found via the Compton Vaults Facebook page.

You also have of course The Bushy’s TT Village at The Villa Marina, The Creek in Peel, Bar Logo and The Mitre in Ramsey and The Queens, Jaks and Sam Webb’s in Douglas and The Secret Pizza Company in Castletown amongst many others to choose from venue wise so it’s a busy couple of weeks coming up!

Mae Challis is a singer songwriter that has been making a name for herself on the Manx music and live scene for the past five years.

As a singer and guitarist she lists her influences from Queen, Oasis, KT Tunstall and Joni Mitchell to more contemporary performers like Hurts, Coldplay, Train, James Morrison, Skrillex, Bruno Mars and Emeli Sande.

Official release-wise, we’ve had Mae’s first single ’Crazy’, a cover of the Gnarls Barkley track in 2016, followed by her album ’Live at The Bath and Bottle’ soon after.

Which brings us to her new single, ’Headphones’.

Taking a nice, modern and dancier slant than her previous acoustic output, the track is now available on iTunes and all streaming sites including Apple Music, Spotify and Deezer.

The video for the single can be viewed via Youtube.

Mae also has a couple of live dates during TT if you want to go and see her and the band gracing the stage, namely Bushy’s Village at the Villa Marina Gardens from 8pm on Saturday and Sunday, May 25 and 26.

Said Mae of these gigs: ’I’m so excited to get back on stage with my band.

’It’s been more than a year of playing acoustic gigs on my own, but I really do feel at home when I have them with me.

’And to be playing such an iconic gig as Bushy’s at TT, I just can’t wait.’

So there you go. For further information on Mae, her music and live shows, go to maechallis.com or Facebook.com/maechallismusic