Mere hours separate us from the beginning of The erics, the first big Irish awards ceremony of 2013, on Wednesday night. Doors at The Village on Wexford Street will be open from 7pm and the good times will roll immediately on entry!

A small selection of tickets are still available, so visit entertainment.ie/tickets to get your mitts on them. Sure, they're only a tenner...

Now, let's get down to business. Music is going to play a big part on the evening, so here's a little taster of what to expect:

Those of you not adverse to a midweek drink will be handed a free cocktail on arrival, which you can get into you while listening to the turntable stylings of Conor Behan. Then, shortly after 7.30pm, hotly-tipped Dublin band Bouts will take to the stage and show off just why they're tipped to make a big impression on the Irish music landscape over the course of the next 12 months.

As soon as Bouts' set reaches its conclusion, the awards proper will start. FM104's Sean Munsanje will be the man with the microphone and will oversee the awarding of 16 gongs, across a wide spectrum of entertainment-centric categories.

From a music perspective, we'll be handing out awards for Best Irish Album, Best Irish Band and Live Event of the Year - all of which were voted on by the public. Competition in all three categories was incredibly close and, let's face it, most (if not all) of the nominees would be worthy winners.

Meanwhile, midway through the awards there will be a musical interlude from Leanne Harte who will preview a selection from her upcoming EP Restless Sleepers after which the remaining awards will be divvied out.

Once the awards have reached their conclusion, Heathers, who have been nominated in two categories, will play a set before Delorentos (also multiple nominees) will take to the stage and see the night out.

It should also be noted that you'll be given a unique wristband when you arrive, which will automatically enter you in draws to win a HTC Smartphone, numerous concert tickets and more. Who doesn't like free stuff!?

Now, who's in? Raise yer hands!