As next week is May Day (and I’ll probably be issuing a mayday due to the massive hangover from my party on Wednesday), there will be no newsletter. However, I’ve added a few extra tips to get you through the following weekend, as well as my gig list for May.

Thursday: A Listening Session With The Very Talented Tobias Carshey
Saturday: Dance Like No-One Is Listening
Saturday: Tom Houghton Features For Comedy Kiss
Saturday: Let’s Rock! Massive Waggons Play Exil
Monday: The Men In Tights Are Back: It's Sechseläuten
Tuesday: The 28th Pink Apple Film Festival
Wednesday: It’s My Birthday! Let’s Party!

Fri 2nd - 4th May: Barfussbar Re-Opens For The Summer
Sat 3rd & Sun 4th: Sneaker lovers unite. Sneakerness is in town

An inexplicable half-day off? Yes, it’s time for Sechseläuten: the day of the year when we discover a) how good the summer will be, b) how gullible we all are to believe that an exploding snowman can predict the weather, and c) which one of the burly, manly men of Zurich’s «Zünfte» (that’s guilds, folks) looks best in stockings. The festivities on Monday start at 3 p.m. with a parade that proceeds along Bahnhofstrasse, crosses the Rudolf-Brun-Brücke, and ends at the appropriately named Sechseläutenplatz. (It’s almost like they planned it!)

My tips: bring a sausage to cook on the bonfire after the Böögg has detonated, and don’t expect the trams and buses passing through that part of the city to run to their usual timetable.

Monday 3pm, Various Locations, 8001

In a couple of week’s it will be 21 years since my very first «Ron Orp Mail» winged it’s way into the digital ether. And i will officially be «of age» around the globe - not that it makes any difference - i’ve been partying since birth anyway. But i digress - my coming of age is an excuse for a big celebration so put the 30th of April at 5pm in your diaries and get ready to have some fun.

Since i enjoyed last years shindig at Lalaplatz so much i’m taking over an entire street again — this time, it’s Tellstrasse. These 8 venues are celebrating with me:

A lot of gigs this month and, for some reason, there seems to be a greater number of Nordic bands. Will the elegance of Scandinavian design be in evidence or will the band arrive in a cardboard box and have to be assembled with an allen key. Who can say? What i do know is that, once again, there is a massive range of musical styles to listen to and enjoy. Have fun out there music lovers!