Live at the Marquee will open for business this week, with a host of performances scheduled to take place in the tent over the course of the next month. Here's some songs we're looking forward to hearing.

 

The National - 'Fake Empire'

The National have played Irish shows with such frequency that our shores are almost becoming a second home for the Ohioan band. This time Cork will play host to Matt Berninger and his band, currently touring their sixth album Trouble Will Find Me. As you might expect, current The National setlists are comprised mostly from new material, but they're allowing space for some of the band's best-loved tracks from their catalogue, such as 'All The Wine', 'Apartment Story', 'Conversation 16' and 'Fake Empire'.

Elton John - 'Tiny Dancer'

Elton John's recent appearance on the new Queens of the Stone Age record ...Like Clockwork seems to be incredibly apt, given that he is both a queen and from the stone age. The fact that John was so sought after by Josh Homme for the collaboration speaks volumes as to his overwhelming influence on popular music over the years. 'Tiny Dancer' was an unheralded song for a long time before a standout scene in Cameron Crowe's movie Almost Famous gave it a new lease of life and now it's up there with Elton John's most famous compositions.

Sting - 'Roxanne'

There's a drinking game you can play to The Police's 'Roxanne' which basically entails you taking a sip every time Sting utters the name of the song. It goes along at reasonable pace...until you hit the chorus, leading to you waking up the next morning in a dumpster with a pounding headache. Still, a small price to pay for a cracking song.

The Boomtown Rats - 'I Don't Like Mondays'

To this day, 'I Don't Like Mondays' is probably the Boomtown Rats' most famous song as well as being the soundtrack to many a Monday morning blues session. The song has been covered by everyone from the likes of Bon Jovi to Tori Amos to G4 (remember them?) but it's Geldof's mannerisms and personality which really makes the song stand out from the crowd.

Bell X1 - 'Rocky Took a Lover'

Along with The Coronas, who are pulling double duty, Bell X1 will join The Boomtown Rats, Christy Moore and Imelda May as being the Irish contingent at this year's Live at the Marquee. Paul Noonan and his band will release a new album in late June and the Marquee will be among the first venues treated to the new tunes. Bell X1's recent setlists (well, by 'recent' we mean the end of last year) were heavily populated by some of the band's older tunes, which should mean an outing for the excellent 'Rocky Took a Lover'.