While every band seems to have either left the country for their annual holiday or signed-up to play every festival under the sun (or in the rain, whichever), the choice of good old fashioned tours is more limited during the summer. But at least Lost Prophets, Washed Out, Wedding Present and The Cave Singers are out in some sort of force. It might be best to head to a festival after all - Standon Calling, Summer Sundae Weekender and Relentless Boardmasters look like the best bets.

Theatres are even quieter, although Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor done '20s style, Alan Carr and The Pitmen Painters are excellent enough diversions from running for cover from the downpours.

All prices are exclusive of booking fees.

This week:

• Tours
• Festivals
• Theatre, Comedy and Arts

Tours

Thursday sees the first of four shows from the Welsh rockers, prior to their big V Festival 2011 slot later this month. If you haven't bought tickets for Oxford or next week's Cardiff and Norwich shows then you've only got re-sales to bid for. Bournemouth on 16th August is still up for £17.50.

Otherwise known as Ernest Greene (!), the much-touted American ambient-pop performer will be plugging his Top 100 Sub-Pop album "Within and Without" from Monday onwards. First stop is Manchester, followed by London, Brighton, Bristol and a slot at Edinburgh's Edge Festival. £7.50 - £10.

As well as appearing at Leicester's Summer Sundae Weekender on Saturday, the vaudevillian folk-roots outfit will head to Scarborough on Sunday for a show at the Scarborough Fair 2011 - £25. They then play Gawsworth Hall near Macclesfield during the following week - £21.

One of the few bands attempting anything resembling a tour is David Gedge's charges, the Wedding Present, but even they are only playing three shows next week in Leicester, Clitheroe and Middlesbrough (available for £15 - £17.50). They return to London on 21st August as part of a three-way bash at the Bussey Building with Trash talk and Mazes (£10).

Seattle's alt-rock outfit continue their global assault with a clutch of UK shows promoting recent album, "No Witch", beginning with Bristol on Saturday. Other stops afterwards include Newcastle and London's Bush Hall, with tickets costing £10/£11.

Legendary Mr Hibbert and crew head to the South and South-West next week with shows in Exeter on Wednesday and Poole on Thursday. Both gigs are still available for £23 and £25 respectively, before the band head to Leicester's Summer Sundae Weekender on Friday.

Yet another act appearing at Summer Sundae is Japan's spiky power-punk all-girl trio, Shonen Knife. Straight afterwards, they head to Manchester (Sat), Newcastle (Sun) and more before touching down in Cardiff, with most shows priced at a tenner or less.

Keeping it acoustic with InMe's Dave McPherson in support, Townsend will wield an altogether lighter guitar with shows in Brighton (Tues), Southampton (Wed) and Exeter (Thurs). Only the middle show still has tickets available - £12.

Bringing it back old skool, mate - yep, the key name associated with the happy side of raving, hardcore and jump-up jungle is still United Dance and this explosive one-off night on Sat 13th at Hidden in Lambeth brings you genre-leaders such as DJ Slipmatt, Grooverider, Ellis Dee, Kenny Ken and more for just £13.50.

Brixton's Jamm welcomes the less-follicled of the two Orbital lads with Phil set to rock the house on Friday night. Live support has yet to be announced - meanwhile Hartnoll will play out several big classics via the medium of DJing, until the early hours - £10.

Festivals

So this is where every musician has popped off to (aside from Edinburgh). Leicester's Summer Sundae has a corking role-call including Example, Newton Faulkner, The Maccabees, Toots and the Maytals and Everything Everything. Tickets cost £124/£127 for the weekend with camping.

Relentless Boardmasters 2011

Head to Newquay next week for more than just a music festival - this is a way of life with surfing, skating and general bumming around between acts such as We Are The Ocean, Newton Faulkner, Klaxons, Fatboy Slim and Dub Pistols. It's £85 for the weekend with camping.

This week, Spiritualized were forced to pull out of this year's Hertfordshire gathering, due to illness. But with Lamb, Battles, Broken Records, Penguin Cafe, Washed Out and Howard Marks on board, it's still a cracking line-up. The entire weekend costs £120.

Theatre, Comedy and Arts

Abstract artist Roger Hilton is the inspiration behind this black-comedy from Edward Elms, concentrating mainly on his final days of one of Britain's key artists. The reliable Half Moon in Herne Hill ensures the two-week presentation is sensibly priced at £8 - £10. Runs for two weeks from Thursday onwards.

You can rely on Brighton's Little Theatre to 'adapt' classic plays - here they've cheekily switched Shakespeare's story of Falstaff-in-love from the 17th-century to the 1920's, complete with song and dance!! At £7.50, you've no excuse not to go along for the ride - plays for a week from Tuesday till Saturday.

William Feaver's tale about Ashington coal-miners who apply for art classes with a top professor, has previously played in London's West End and now heads to mining country on Tyneside with a week-long run at Newcastle's Journal Theatre. There are still seats left for most of the shows, priced from £15.

The Spexy Beast is back, starting with a sold-out show in Carlisle on Wednesday, followed by a busier schedule the week after in Bristol and Ipswich (that last one is sold-out too). If you are toying with seeing Carr, stop toying and grab tickets now - they're selling like hot cupcakes.

You'll recognize funnyman and showman Spikey from his days starring opposite Peter Kay in the marvellous "Phoenix Nights". This show, entitled "Words Don't Come Easy", takes place on Thursday at Gawsworth Hall in Cheshire - tickets cost £20.

Happy clicking!