Good tip-off in CityLife last Friday: Club North, the venue under Affleck’s Palace, has been temporarily transformed into Blink.

Opening a couple of days ago, this new ‘pop up bar’ has scheduled 10 weeks of event – from a preview night featuring local band Delphic to a Calvin Harris DJ set on Saturday just gone. Other nights feature a DJ set by Late of the Pier, plus ‘twisted trannie night MirrorMirror’s extravagant summer ball’, as CityLife so eloquently puts it.

It adds that the overall aim is to create a series of ‘one-off events, big sounds, memorable nights out, in a temporary space with a rough-round-the-edges charm’.

Then, in two months time, the bar’s owners will shut up shop and re-open it in October as the Blackdog Ballroom, complete with slate floors, wood panelling and so on. It sounds like Manchester looks set to gain a New York-inspired venue that’s open a very convenient 16 hours per day.

May looks set to be a crazy month for live music in Manchester, and it kicks off with a few great shows this week…

On Tuesday, anti-folkster Jeffrey Lewis plays with his band (currently called The Junkyard) at Academy 3. His new album, Em Are I, is his best yet in our opinion – are is his current selection of comic book soundtracks. Support comes from Planet Earth and Coventry’s Don’t Move. Tickets are here.

Then on Wednesday, Football and Underachievers Please Try Harder are teaming up to promote a great indie-pop lineup: New Yorkers Bishop Allen, plus Amida and Married to the Sea. Tickets are only £6 and capacity at Cafe Saki in Rusholme is 120, so book now. Or much-touted local band The Jessie Rose Trip are also playing on Wednesday, at the Ruby Lounge. Tickets here.

Thursday brings a Drowned In Sound night at the Deaf Institute. This one features two great electronica acts in France’s M83 and German composer/producer Ulrich Schnauss. We rate both very highly – and apparently plenty of other people do too, as the show sold out some time ago.

And wrapping things up this week are Cambridge’s The Broken Family Band. If you like wonky, bouncy country songs, check them out. They’re playing at the Ruby Lounge on Friday. Tickets are £10 in advance.

It’s the first Bank Holiday weekend in May, which means Sounds From The Other City is happening tomorrow, Sunday, along Salford’s Chapel Street. Each of its previous four years have sold out – and 2009 looks to be no different. Here’s a note from one of the organisers:

Just a quick message to say that the last 40 Sounds From the Other City tickets went in Piccadilly Records on Firiday afternoon. Quay tickets is sold out now so this is your last chance to get hold of one.

There’s no guestlist and there won’t be any tickets available on the day. Stage times for the event, which kicks off at 3pm, are up on the SFTOC Facebook group.