However, she recently supported REM in the Olympia and is gearing up for the release of Tales of Silverware. This is a gem of an album, full of playful tunes and at times a Motown cuteness but not without her trademark ballsiness. Davey is one artist who simply shrivels at the thought of performing live so best get there and give her the support she needs. Surely this time next year she will have gone onto greater things.

Miriam Ingram Friday 28 September There are so many Irish female artists that seem to slip between the cracks these days. Sometimes it seems you have be ultra quirky or a complete mess to get media coverage, while rubbish indie bands sell out the RDS with bizarre regularity.

Nina Hynes, Anne Scott and Miriam Ingram have all released perfectly good albums in the last 12 months or so but for Ingram her debut album Trampoline didn't seem to have the bounce it so deserved.

However it remains, along with Si Schroeder, one of my favourite downbeat electronica gems. And 'Who Knows Where The Time Goes' is one of the most lovely songs around. Go see.

The Scandinavian Invasion Last year we had the Canadians, this year it is the turn of the Vikings. The obvious selection of The Concretes (who are currently flogging their third album minus their lead vocalist Victoria Bergsman and playing on Saturday) aside, there is some real quality to Scandinavian music at the moment and this is reflected in the 15 other bands set to play the festival.

The pick of the bunch for me are Danish indie hipsters Oh No Ono who I saw earlier this year at the Eurosonic festival in Gronigen, Holland. They were an awesome live spectacle, with a lot of shaggy hair flying about the place. And that was just in the audience.

International Photography Exhibition Free admission all weekend With so many gigs on you may need a bit of down time and what better way to than to take in some excellent rock photgraphic art. A fellow named Christopher Sykes had the enviable task of following the Rolling Stones around for three months in 1975 taking pictures backstage, on the tour bus, pretty much everywhere. This is a must see.

There's also a Visions Of Dylan exhibition of snaps inspired by the great one, including ones taken by Patti Smith, Tracey Emin, Bryan Adams and Ronnie Wood.

Leading rock snapper Roger Woolman also has an exhibition with a selection of work from Ireland's burgeoning talent, including Sweden's Rosanna Wilisoo and our own Lili Forberg.

Jape Sunday 30 September (headline) We have been expecting a sophomore album from Dubliner Richie Egan for so long now it's beginning to get annoying. A cross-channel deal with V2 saw the re-release of the single 'Floating' (a song The Raconteurs have apparently taken to playing live) and it was expected the album would build on the higher profile on offer in Britain.

There is an EP on the way in November and, we are told, an album shortly afterwards.

Anyway, Jape can be hot or cold live, but when on form there are few more naturally talented live performers so it will probably be worth it. The Jimmy Cake headline on Friday night . . . that's a bit random, isn't it? ND Queen Kong Sunday 30 September "You have R Kelly tourettes, " Cork band Queen Kong decide after their drummer James manages to successfully monopolise the interview with his praise and adoration for R Kelly. Such an influence is just one of the unexpected things about this intriguing band. They appear to attract drama wherever they go;

from an irate saxophone player quitting the band five minutes before they were due on stage at a gig in Kilkenny to causing political consternation when they played the feminist Ladyfest in Berlin (one half of the four-piece is male).

Queen Kong formed in Cork about five years ago. Its beginnings are strange, rooted in a college compilation that guitarist David was making in UCC. "Except, there were no bands in UCC, " he explains, "so what I had to do was put loads of fake songs that I wrote myself and pretended they were by bands. One of those fake bands was called Queen Kong."

After bassist Ruby and David were evicted from their house, the band moved to Dublin. "We've evolved over the years. Grew legs.

Grew a head. It's not so much people come and go, it just runs, extends, " explains guitarist David.

"Paring off the edges to make it work, " adds singer Amy. And work it does, with excellent tracks including the phenomenal 'Approximation' and an album on the way.

You're Only Massive Saturday 29 September Waterford is not traditionally a hotbed of electro hip-hop, but that hasn't stopped Maebh Cheasty and her friend Megan from filling that void. The band is just a few months old and already gaining a reputation for making some of the most innovative sounds around.

"We met at a techno night in Waterford that we were both playing at. We started it as a laugh, there's no real concept behind it."

Since then they've played all over Ireland including the Maximum Joy club night in Dublin and supported Scream Club in Cork, along with a stint at Trickster in Berlin. "We just like gigs where people are up for having a laugh, getting drunk and having a good time. We play free parties and raves and stuff. It's always king of fun. There's no one else doing what we're doing. We can't go to a night which is out type of music. . . we don't really fit in, but that's a good thing."

Cheasty has also been commissioned to develop her audio tours of cities called DiscoNnect in New York and at the Dublin Fringe Festival. Her tips to check out during the HWCH festival include LDK, Super Extra Bonus Party, Channel One, White Noise and Dry County. "That's one of the real reasons I'm looking forward to the festival, " she says, "I get to see loads of stuff for free.

That's kind of cheeky, is it?"

Super Extra Bonus Party Friday 28 September With performances at Electric Picnic and the Fringe Festival under their noisy belts, along with excellent reviews for their eponymous debut album in every facet of the Irish media, Super Extra Bonus Party have taken the Irish music scene by the throat and made it dance. Dub, techno, metal, indie and hip-hop all combine to make great tunes and even greater live shows. Added to the musical element is the live visuals genius of blogger Nialler9.

The moniker of the boys from Kells and, um, Brazil says it all really, and live, they never disappoint. A definite must-see for someone losing faith in home grown music.

Halves Sunday 30 September Responsible for one of the finest Irish releases this year with their untitled EP, Halves were among a number of local bands to have impressed at the Electric Picnic.

Melodramatic and atmospheric soundscapes are the order here, so if you like Mono, or fellow Irish band Dry County, then you will be impressed with Halves.

They are an example of the rise in quality of Irish electronic, unafraid to be intense, engaging dark, as opposed to background music that requires a search for attention rather than demanding it, as Halves' music does.

Speed Mentoring Instead of offering boring lectures on the music industry, the honchos at HWCH have introduced speed mentoring sessions which last for eight minutes until a bell sounds and the musician moves on to the next expert. Legal and financial experts along with band managers, PR experts, stylists, journalists, A&R heads, digital media specialists and promoters are all lining up for their dates and bands can book time with them by emailing info@hwch. net.