Second lap of the UK beat, and the winter calendar is all big rooms and long goodbyes: the London-Irish originals taking the hits round Britain, Belfast’s finest going gold, a Scottish crew out on the road with a new record, and Nottinghamshire’s Hell Hounds down to their final week.

The Pogues bring the Greatest Hits Tour through Britain before heading home for Christmas: Portsmouth Guildhall (November 28), Rock City in Nottingham (November 30), O2 Academy Leeds (December 1), O2 Academy Birmingham (December 3), Manchester’s O2 Apollo (December 4) and O2 Academy Brixton (December 5), then Newcastle O2 City Hall (December 7) and O2 Academy Glasgow (December 8). Demand forced a second London night at the O2 Forum Kentish Town on December 15. Spider Stacy, Jem Finer and James Fearnley lead the charge, with the usual cast of guest singers.

Fifty years after their first show in an East Belfast bar, Stiff Little Fingers mark the anniversary with GOLDFINGERS, a March 2027 run with Penetration as special guests: Bristol O2 Academy (March 9), Leeds O2 Academy (March 11), Manchester Academy (March 12), Newcastle O2 City Hall (March 13), the traditional St Patrick’s double at Glasgow’s Barrowland (March 16 and 17, the 17th already sold out), Birmingham O2 Academy (March 19) and the Roundhouse in Camden (March 20). Jake Burns hopes to keep going “for a few years yet … just not another fifty!”

Skerryvore have Beautiful Mistakes out now, made with producer Jamie Squire (The 1975) and billed as their most personal record yet. The album tour heads south through Sunderland’s Fire Station (November 24), Settle Victoria Hall (November 25), O2 Academy Islington (November 27), Bath Komedia (December 1) and Manchester Academy 2 (December 2), takes in Belfast’s Limelight (December 10), and finishes back home at Aberdeen’s Music Hall (December 19).

Ferocious Dog are into the last week of the farewell. Before the final-ever show at Rock City on November 28 come two more nights: Settle Victoria Hall (November 26), the night after Skerryvore play the same room, and the Picturedrome in Holmfirth (November 27). Bring tissues.

The Men They Couldn’t Hang play Islington Assembly Hall on December 3. The Queen’s Shilling demo CDs, which fund new album The Wave, are now posting out.

Black Water County have a short March run booked: the Bodega in Nottingham (March 3), Bristol’s Thekla (March 4), Papillon in Southampton (March 5) and Barfly Camden (March 6).

Coming through town

• Dublin’s The Scratch bring their biggest UK run yet: SWG3 Galvanizers in Glasgow (January 29), Manchester’s New Century Hall (January 30), Leeds Irish Centre (January 31), XOYO Birmingham (February 2), Electric in Bristol (February 3), Chalk in Brighton (February 4) and the O2 Forum Kentish Town (February 5).
• German stalwarts Mr. Irish Bastard mark 20 years with a night at The Underworld in Camden on January 16.