Imelda and her band played to a packed crowd in Tripod last night, rounding off an epic 36-date tour with a special hometown gig.

Thanking the audience, she said she'd be back in Dublin in a few months, with a Vicar Street date on June 13. "We just found out today!" she beamed, clearly excited at the prospect of returning in the summer.

Tickets for the Aiken Promotions gig start at €20.00, and go on sale this Monday (16), from Ticketmaster and usual outlets.

And Imelda is sticking around for a while this week, as she plays an acoustic set and signs records in HMV on Grafton St today (March 13) at 1pm, and pays a visit to the RDS next Tuesday (17) to play the Meteor Awards, where she's nominated for Best Irish Female.

There'll be a full review of Imelda May's Tripod show in the next issue.