This week many of you will have said goodbye to those lazy weekdays by the beach as you no doubt took a deep breath and started back at work. The festive season may have come and gone but that doesn’t mean the fun has to, we check out some upcoming gigs that will brighten up your evenings. Auckland kicks off our gig guide, we’ll take a look around the country’s main cities in the coming days. Kate Tempest KATE TEMPEST First on the list and performing tonight is British poet, rapper and award winning writer, Kate Tempest, playing at the Kings Arms. Kate and her four piece band have spent the last eighteen months playing the major festivals and touring the world, winning over audiences wherever she goes, The Guardian have described her as “One of the brightest British talents around”. You don’t want to miss this one! We hear there is still a few tickets available but get in quick. Kate Tempest / Kings Arms / 15 January, 8pm Le1f LE1F Tomorrow night queer rapper and producer from New York, Le1f is playing on K’rd. Having studied ballet and modern dance, Le1f is known for his unique and subversive style on stage. In 2013 he criticised Macklemore, saying it was not appropriate for him to exploit an LGBTI rights issue on his track ‘Same Love’ for financial gain. Check him out at Neck of the Woods with support from openly trans local rapper LarzRanda Le1f / Neck of the Woods, K’rd / 16 January, 8.30pm Courtney Barnett COURTNEY BARNETT Auckland Anniversary weekend is sure to be a hot one and Laneway Festival is bringing Aussie queer songstress Courtney Barnett over for your listening pleasure. She’s been called this generation's Bob Dylan, Pitchfork nailing her sound as building “on the wordy irreverence of mid-’60s Bob Dylan and a Byrds-ian blend of psychedelia, folk and country”, according to Rolling Stone her track Pedestrian At Best is the ‘Best Song of the Year So Far.’ Laneway Festival / Silo Park / 1 February Diana King DIANA KING Openly lesbian reggae singer Diana King was a late-comer to the Ragamuffin Lineup, replacing anti-gay Beanie Man, but it’s better late than never. The singer shot to fame in the 1990’s - you may remember her hit song ‘Shy Guy’ and headlined the world’s largest lesbian event, the Dinah Shore, in 2013. Raggamuffin Festival / Trusts Arena / 20 February Sleater Kinney SLEATER KINNEY Announcing their first New Zealand show in thirteen years, Sleater Kinney are heading our way and playing one show at Auckland’s Powerstation. Hailed as “America’s best rock band” by Time Magazine’s Greil Marcus, Sleater Kinney were born out of the ’90s Pacific Northwest riot grrr scene. Sleater Kinney / Powerstation / 29 February - 15th January 2016