THERE’S a monster line-up of bands taking to the Top Floor stage at Three Wise Monkeys this weekend.

And it all kicks off with one of the brightest stars of the lot of them, Monster Florence.

The band is the product of two separate musical groups joining forces; record producer and bass player Tom Donovan, drummer Cameron Morrell and saxophonist and keyboard player Jonny Poole; along with rappers Wallace Rice, Alex Osiris and Dream McClean.

After starting life at the town’s Free Festival, they’ve gone on to play some of the biggest festivals in the country, including Reading and Leeds, and got radio play on stations such as BBC 6 Music.

More recently, they’ve just signed a publishing deal with Max Music Publishing and are about to release a new, single Famous People Die The Most next month with the long awaited debut album coming out in September. But more on that later.

They play the High Street venue this Friday when support comes from Impilo and Piers James. Doors open at 8pm and entry is £6.

The following night, Paper Champion’s Jonathan Dadds has decided to celebrate his birthday in style with another cracking line-up of musical talent.

That’s ZoZo, the Leeds based, saxophone heavy, group who made their Colchester debut this time last year, and Colchester’s very own Rad Pitt, who according to Jonathan are ‘one of the most underrated post-hardcore groups in the country’.

They’ll be joined by John Callaghan with his performance style a mixture between karaoke (of his own songs) and the visual elements of projections and homemade costumes, and opening the night smart-pop ensemble Lawrence and Cow.

And if that wasn’t enough the whole night is headlined by the mighty crazy antics of Dingus Khan, whose most recent Arts Centre show was the perfect mix of catchy songs, sing alongs and chaotic stage presence with front man Ben Brown at one point riding across the crowd on a giant inflatable swan.

With their second album, Dunce Kap, they’ve perfected their sound of lively tracks, energetic choruses, and clever yet out-there lyrics, so what better time to see them.

Doors open at 7.30pm with entry priced £5, available in advance from here.