In my first rant about how good the summer’s shaping up, I focused on the festivals (for those of you foolish enough to have missed your near-weekly dose of my thoughts click here)

And while the festival list just keeps getting more impressive with some strong second round additions for the BDO and Meredith, it is the sideshows that we’ll be delving into with my top 10 must-sees of the Melbourne summer:

1)    The National – The Corner Hotel – Jan 18/19 – The Boxer is truly ‘an album that grows on you’ rather than a lame one-line tag that a reviewer uses when they’ve run out of ideas.

2)    Tegan and Sara – The Forum – December 12 – Sure, they’re on the cover, but we’ve interviewed them already, so there’s no need to suck up anymore. Truth be told, the Quinn’s are the true queens of pop, purveyors with real pizzazz.

3)    Dr. Dog – Northcote Social Club – December 16 – We All Belong makes the psychedelic image of a white-coat-wearing Labrador, perched on two paws and handing out quasi-pharmaceutical drugs all the more appealing. For those who haven’t heard: it’s the year of the Dog.

4)    Black Lips – the Arthouse – December 19 – By reputation alone this band’s live show contains nudity, blood, vomiting and urinating… the music is damn good too.

5)    Andrew Bird – The Corner – January 11 – Last time he was at the NSC and he whistled up a storm. But if there’s anyone who can make the back dregs of The Corner intimate, it’s the Birdman.

6)    Sufjan Steven – The Forum – January 16 – Like Snow Patrol you too can “put Sufjan on, he’ll play your favourite song…” Either way, the Sufjan Choir is the indie hot ticket.

7)    Rufus Wainwright – Festival Hall – February 1/2 – The song ‘America’ alone makes Wainwright worth the admission.

8)    Beirut – Corner Hotel – March 11 – Zack Condon may have a name like the alter-ego of a superhero, but The Flying Club Cup is all-class.

9)    Sonic Youth – The Metro – February 20 – Sonic Youth reprising Daydream Nation … It’s heady stuff, folks.

10)    Crosby, Stills & Nash – The Palais – December 9 – No summer is complete without an acid flashback and a rock revival show.