Diamond Rings

With his synthed-out sophomore album out this week, John O'Regan is coming into his androgynous own. While still boasting Bowie's fashion sense, the Toronto-based musician has refined his sound with "Free Dimensional," ditching lo-fi irony for full-figured, guitar-laced synth-scapes. There's still '80s glam galore, it just feels less hollow (save for that cheeky rap verse on "(I Know) What I'm Made Of"). Now towing a three-man backing band, O'Regan's lonely solo gigs of old should see a sonic step-up, too. Gold Fields and Vague-a-Bonde open.

In 2004, VH1's short-lived "Bands Reunited" heeded the call of '80s 2-Tone ska lovers everywhere and attempted to regroup the original English Beat. The show failed, but that didn't stop frontman Dave Wakeling from touring his version of the band (drummer Everett Morton simultaneously tours a U.K. version). The English Beat hasn't released an album since 1982, instead opting to keep the cash flow open via seven greatest hits compilations. The Paul Collins Beat, featuring the frontman of '80s L.A. power-poppers the Beat, also performs this semantically confusing show. JAY BOLLER

Grammy winners for their most recent release, "Tassili," desert groovers Tinariwen remain spokesmen for a generation of politically abused nomadic Tuareg peoples, and standard-bearers of the modern North African/Tuareg sound. Invented in rebel refugee camps and spread via cassette tapes, it's a sound built on ancient bluesy folk music, modernized with discreet Western rock flourishes, and adorned with lyrics that are as poetic as they are pointed.TOM SUROWICZ

After a seven-year break, the Wallflowers are back with the groove-heavy "Glad All Over." The album is propelled by the new single "Reboot the Mission," in which frontman Jakob Dylan not only name-checks his bandmates but also the Clash, whose guitarist, Mick Jones, sings and plays on the dance-happy ditty that evokes "Sandinista." Jones guests on another number, but "Glad All Over" sounds unmistakably like the Wallflowers, thanks to Dylan's raspy voice and Rami Jaffee's signature organ.JON BREAM

Wallflowers 7 p.m. • First Avenue • 18-plus • $30 After a seven-year break, the Wallflowers are back with the groove-heavy "Glad All Over." The album is propelled by the new single "Reboot the Mission," in which frontman Jakob Dylan not only name-checks his bandmates but also the Clash, whose guitarist, Mick Jones, sings and plays on the dance-happy ditty that evokes "Sandinista." Jones guests on another number, but "Glad All Over" sounds unmistakably like the Wallflowers, thanks to Dylan's raspy voice and Rami Jaffee's signature organ.Jon Bream