Slane performing at the Maine Irish Heritage Center on Dec. 31. Aimsel Ponti/Portland Press Herald

To quote the “Cheers” theme song, “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.”

The same can be true for seeing local bands performing songs by big, national groups. Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows the words.

I find it comforting and fun to sing along with songs that I’ve known for years in a roomful of other fans, even while I adore the huge amount of original music being made in Maine.

There are a bunch of upcoming local covers shows where you too can indulge a love of the familiar. Most are one-off performances, but there’s one band that’s here to stay.

Slane is, from what I can tell, the only Maine-based tribute to U2. The band got its name from Slane Castle in Ireland, where U2 recorded “The Unforgettable Fire” in 1984.

U2 has never performed in Maine and it’s unlikely they ever will. Tours do bring them to Boston, but not everyone can afford those tickets or are able to get to an out-of-state show.

That’s where Slane, fronted by singer Barry Dodd, comes in. The rest of the band is composed of drummer Terry Patterson, Ed Porter on bass and guitarist Chris Loughran. They’re based in Gorham, Westbrook and Belfast.

The band’s first show was on St. Patrick’s Day in 2022. I saw them live for the first time at the Maine Irish Heritage Center in Portland on New Year’s Eve. The show started at 7 p.m., moments after Dublin, Ireland (where U2 is from) rang in the new year and we all cheered. The first song was, of course, “New Year’s Day.”

As a hardcore U2 fan, I was ecstatic to hear Slane cover songs like “Bad,” Sunday Bloody Sunday,” “A Sort of Homecoming” and “Bullet The Blue Sky.” They also delivered fan favorites like “Desire,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and “Pride (In the Name of Love).”

Dodd sang the hell out of the songs, and at times his inflections reminded me of Bono. The rest of the band did the songs justice, and Loughran’s guitar blazed particularly bright during “Bullet.”

Slane was so good that I came back on New Year’s Day to interview Dodd and Porter as they packed up their equipment.

They’ve been friends their entire lives, and both turn 50 later this year. Dodd has been a U2 fan since he was a teenager and the first album he owned was “October,” a Christmas gift from Patterson, his cousin. Porter said he became a fan in part by watching early MTV.

Dodd has seen U2 live multiple times, including three times during their residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas last year. “It was maybe the greatest show on earth.”

I asked Dodd and Porter their favorite U2 songs to play live.

Porter mentioned “I Will Follow,” “With Or Without You” and “40.” Dodd gravitated toward songs that get the audience involved. “That’s when it really feels like a U2 show to me,” he said. “I always like playing ‘Streets’ (‘Where the Streets Have No Name’), I see people light up when we play it.”

“I love playing their music. The ultimate expression that I can give to my joy for the music is to play that music with my friends in the same way that U2 does,” said Dodd.

Go to slanemaine.com for the band’s live schedule. You can see Slane live at Sugarloaf on March 15 and 16.

Clash of the Titans is back

I found another highlight while scrolling around Facebook and saw posts pop up about the return of Clash of the Titans, after a hiatus of several years.

It’s known in the local music community simply as “The Clash,” an event where local musical supergroups perform as headliner acts. Audience cheers decided the winner, but it’s not so much a competition as a celebration of talent.

Previous hosting venues included The Big Easy, Port City Music Hall and Empire. Back in those days, the shows often wouldn’t start until 10 p.m., making it hard for people to catch too many of them. I do however fondly recall a few, including U2 vs. R.E.M. at least 15 years ago.

This year, Clash of the Titans found a new home at Maine Craft Distilling on Washington Avenue in Portland, with shows starting at 8 p.m.

The five-show schedule kicks off on Jan. 31 with Lady Gaga vs. Chappell Roan. My poker face isn’t great, so I’ll come right out and say I’m cheering for Roan on the strength of “Femininomenon” alone, although it’s hard to disregard Gaga’s many bangers.

Limp Bizkit vs. Creed is on Feb. 18 and Radiohead vs. Pink Floyd takes place March 28.

There’s a soundtrack clash on April 25 with “Back to the Future” vs. “Dirty Dancing,” and the series finishes on May 30 with Talking Heads vs. LCD Soundsystem.

Tickets for the shows are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Get them at mainecraftdistilling.com.

A night of Oasis

On Saturday, we have a night of Oasis, the British rock band comprised of long-feuding brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, at Portland House of Music. Hopefully punches won’t be thrown.

Hear the music of Oasis played by local musicians in Portland on Saturday. Ink Drop/Shutterstock.com

Kurt Baker, a Mainer turned Spaniard, is here for a visit from his home in Madrid. He’ll be playing the part of singer Liam, and Portland guitarist Jeff Beam will be Noel. The rest of the band is Kyle Gervais (bass), Glen Capen (guitar) and drummer Mike Chasse.

“Live Forever: A Tribute to Oasis,” is 8 p.m. Saturday. Portland House of Music, 25 Temple St., Portland, $15, 21-plus. portlandhouseofmusic.com.