Photo by Lauryn Hottinger

Jeff Christmas
8 p.m. Thursday. One Longfellow Square, 181 State St., Portland, $12 in advance, $15 day of show. onelongfellowsquare.com
Portland-based singer-songwriter Jeff Christmas released an excellent album called “Little Universe” in 2020, and he finally gets the chance to celebrate with an official release show. From the zippy opening ditty “Functional” to the closing piano ballad “Steam,” “Little Universe” makes a big impact. Fellow Portlander Cilla Bonnie opens with a set of R&B-inspired tunes, some of which are on her 2020 EP “August.”

Photo by Kayla Warner

Strange Day: A Celebration of The Cure with Seth Warner & Friends
8 p.m. Friday. Portland House of Music, 25 Temple St., Portland, $12 in advance, $15 day of show, 21-plus. portlandhouseofmusic.com
One of the most enduring acts of ’80s alternative glory days is English rock band The Cure, fronted by Robert Smith. They’re not setting foot in Maine anytime soon, but you can still hear a ton of their tunes, courtesy of Mainer Seth Warner and several of his musician friends. With decades of tunes from albums like “The Head on the Door,” “Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me” and “Disintegration,” the show should more than satisfy Cure fans, and since it’s on a Friday, you’ll surely be in love.

Photo courtesy of The State Theatre

Walk Off The Earth
8 p.m. Saturday. State Theatre, 609 Congress St., Portland, $35 in advance, $40 day of show. statetheatreportland.com
Walk out of your house and head to Thompson’s Point to see Canadian indie-pop act Walk Off The Earth. A decade ago, they covered Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” with all of them playing the same guitar, and the YouTube clip has been viewed more than 192 million times. Since then, the band has released several albums, including last year’s “Meet You There,”  and has won several Juno Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys), including best new group and group of the year.