Live at the Marquee 2014

From vintage family entertainers, to gossamer pop stars via angst-slathered indie rockers, this year’s Live at the Marquee line-up is among the most eclectic yet.

Here are some of the highlight’s of the festival running through June and July in Cork.

Dolly Parton, June 12: The country icon does not tour often, so this is a rare chance to experience her blend of glitter and heartache in the flesh. Parton’s reputation as Nashville’s rhinestone queen overshadows her music — live, it is her powerful songs and soaring voice that leave the deepest impression.

Bob Dylan, June 16: Protest pop’s resident grumpy old man, Bob Dylan has been on the road for years and can be hit and miss. At his best, the decades fall away so that his songs feel as revolutionary and compelling as when he stormed music in the 1960s.

Tom Jones, June 19: Perhaps best known to a new generation as one of the judges on the UK edition of The Voice, in concert Jones is an endlessly slick showman — a little cheesy, sure, but with irresistible charisma.

Elbow, June 24: Sensitive middle-age blokes are not obvious stadium rock material — nonetheless, after years of toil, Elbow have become one of Britain’s most beloved rock bands.

Robert Plant and the Sensational Shape Shifters, June 25: He resisted calls to reform Led Zeppelin. However, former lead singer Plant is giving fans the next best thing, his current set packed with Zeppelin standards.

Pixies, June 30: Second only to Nirvana in the pantheon of indie rock icons, Pixies have released a decent-to-average new LP, Indie Cindy, the first long player since reforming in the early 2000s. Fear not — their set will err towards classic albums Surfer Rosa and Dolittle.

Brian Wilson, July 4: Having toured with The Beach Boys on their 50th anniversary, now Wilson returns as a solo performer. The composer of the group’s most enduring hits, Wilson will delve into a song-book that includes sun-splashed anthems ‘Good Vibrations’ and ‘California Girls’.

Christy Moore, July 5: A restless speaker of truth to power and channeller of a uniquely Irish sensibility, Moore may be a son of the midlands but has a huge Cork following. Now a tradition, his Marquee gigs are always a highlight of the festival.

Paolo Nutini, July 8, 9: With a ragged croon and photogenic pout, Nutini has become one of the most popular singer-songwriters of his generation. He looks like he should be fronting a boy band — however, his bluesy rasp makes it clear it is his passion for music that leads him to step on stage, not a hunger for the spotlight.

Neil Young and Crazy Horse July 10: As gnarled and weather-beaten as an oak tree, Neil Young is still capable of moments of exquisite thorniness. Headlining Dublin’s RDS last summer he carefully avoided most of his hits, opting to rock out with his backing band. For those who prefer their rock legends to push forward rather than glance over their shoulder, it was exhilarating.

The National July 14: Stadium moochers with a few catchy songs and lots of angst and earnestness. It might strike you as an unlikely formula for chart-gobbling adulation — and yet Brooklyn’s The National are one of the biggest names in rock now and come to Ireland for a four date arena tour.

Lana Del Rey July 15: It’s a cliché, but this mysterious chanteuse from upstate New York truly does seem to have wafted out of an early David Lynch movie. She has a new record on the way, with production from Black Keys bluesman Dan Auerbach. However, it’s modern classics such as ‘Video Games’ and ‘Born To Die’ that will make the evening something to remember.