Patrick Wolf @ Bloomsbury Ballroom

A stranger bunch of people you've never seen – green ink writers the lot of them. There are middle-aged women practically wetting their Tena Ladies with excitement, several people of indeterminate sex, a girl with sparkly silver pipe cleaners for eyebrows and two guys who look like they've just rolled up from the best acid rave you've never been invited to. Next to them stands a smartly dressed man in his sixties while behind him two dudes with glittery black trousers stand chatting to a woman who manages to have red, purple and electric blue hair all at the same time. And she's wearing a clock.

Roll up, roll up for the Patrick Wolf circus. The venue is pretty odd as well. Bloomsbury Ballroom evokes images of Regency glamour, maybe of Virginia Woolf and E.M Forster hosting scandalous parties. The reality is a little more tired: it's peeling a bit around the edges, the carpets in the bar need a going over with a hoover, and the music over the PA is a 'best of' garage and funky house mix tape. Yuck.

Thankfully Wolf lends an air of extravagance to the occasion, as we are ushered into the ballroom proper to be greeted by his band – a mix of the orchestral and the electronic – and the glamorous singer dressed in a red suit, accessorising with a jaunty red corsage. Maybe it's one too many shandies but the velvet curtains suddenly look hopelessly romantic and glamorous. Once the lights are lowered, you can almost convince yourself that you're on the set of Strictly Come Dancing and while nobody is going to be attempting a rumba tonight, the gig has an instant celebratory atmosphere.

After all, a lot has changed in Wolf's life since his last release 'The Bachelor'. He's now in a long-term relationship, has seemingly finished battling depression, and seems to be a thoroughly happy chappy. The difference in sound is evident. Songs from his forthcoming album (due for release in Summer 2011) are chirpy affairs, with lyrics about survival, hope, and keeping the flame alive. He has described them as “music for your first kiss” and “not cheese but happy, pornographic music”.

He's not entirely right. They are a little bit cheesy. But they're also extremely loveable. He's the kind of guy you want to do well, even when he extends a clenched fist into the audience and closes his eyes while singing, suddenly becoming a bit Michael Bolton (to squeals of delight from the crowd). When he warbles about finding “the greatest peace you'll ever know” with his rich caramel voice, and intones that he “won't back down any more”, your heart skips a beat and your brain gets that same mushy feeling you get when you sniff a baby's head. Or maybe that's just me.

Newbie 'The City' – featuring the refrain “I won't let the city destroy our love” – is an ABC-aping anthem about keeping a relationship going during the credit crunch and perhaps best sums up the electronic troubadour's new direction. It's markedly different from 'The Libertine', a protest song featuring lyrics like “The hitch-hiker was bound and gagged, raped on the roadside”. 'The City' is also sort of a protest song, but it's a protest that's nowhere near as angry or bitter: basically it admits that there's nothing that's that worth getting too worked up about if you have someone to snuggle with on the sofa. “I'm sorry, but I just love this song. I could play it for hours,” says Wolf as he goes in for another chorus and the 'Lexicon of Love'-style sax solo wails up again.

Nobody's stopping him. Frankly, he's given us all something to smile about. Even me, bitter, alone and Bridget Jones-esque as I am, find myself smiling at strangers on the tube on the way home. Sadly, they edge away and bury their heads in the Standard.

Dave Brubeck and the Expanding of Horizons

A couple of nights ago on the One Show there was an item about how the English language has changed over the last 60 years or so. The usual Daily Mail nonsense about how we're all going to hell in a hand basket because we use Americanisms and how the purity of British speech is being diluted and blah blah blah. Leaving aside the fact that there are hundreds of foreign words in our vocabulary- bungalow, cul de sac, avocado, you've got to wonder why people really care? Does it really matter that some of us say train instead of railway tracks or sidewalks instead of pavements?

The whole point of language is communication; communicating a thought or an emotion or a warning. As long as you're able to understand what is being conveyed, it doesn't really matter what words you use. If you're the kind of person who gets their knickers in a twist about 'correct' manners of speech then you clearly fail to understand the concept of language as something beautiful and nuanced. Only a slabbering moron would want to limit the number of words in use, for they then deny themselves the pleasure of using language to the full. New words keep language relevant and engaging. People would look at you like you were insane if you started speaking in Chaucerian English because it's no longer relevant. Language is a living, breathing organism that is constantly being developed. You have to move with the times and keep innovating or you might as well give up.

Which brings me neatly to the subject of Dave Brubeck, who I had the pleasure of watching a documentary about on BBC 4 later that night. Brubeck was a man who was constantly experimenting- playing with time signatures and encouraging his drummer to lay down wildly chaotic beats while his saxophonist swirled round and in between with a beautiful crisp reediness. All the while he kept the pace going as he gently stroked the keys of his piano. He was greatly influenced by modern art and featured famous works and sculptures on his album covers. Listening to his music sounds a lot like being trapped inside a Miro painting. He was one of the first to see jazz as a mainstream pursuit and to take it out of the seedy nightclubs and into the concert halls, whilst still remaining wildly avant garde. He did this by garnering the support of students, taking his band on tours of campuses. This led to him being featured on the cover of Time magazine, the first jazz artist to win the coveted slot.

His most famous song 'Take 5' is written in 5/4 time, which gives it a fabulously jittery edge. Although it seems cool (if it was a colour it would be the bright white of the arctic snow), it's far from mellow. For one of the highest selling jazz records of all time, it's pretty out there and yet it's all delivered with such precision that you barely notice how radical it is. It perfectly sums up the Brubeck sound- a mixture of the familiar and the what the fuck?

Still going at 90, he isn't a man who is short of ideas. He regularly composes songs dedicated to his fallen idols and in the last few years has written music for the Pope, conducted choirs and had a go at penning arias and hymns, as well as continuing touring with his jazz band and recording songs with legendary blues and classical composers and artists. He's never stopped toiling at trying to remain fresh and, most importantly, he still looks like he's having a bloody good time even though his fingers are stiffened with arthritis. His message should be one we take on board- don't become someone who is annoyed by change (whether it's musical, linguistic or social), but enjoy it for the excitement it can bring.

All hail Brubeck- a man who wouldn't give a fuck how you pronounced the word 'scone'.

Fiction

Recently it seems to have been all about America, especially the West Coast. Admittedly the new penchant for surf rock doesn’t immediately make you think of Blighty. The Drums might have been put off surfing if they’d have had to contend with the artic North Sea. Good on Fiction then for reppin’ our ends and showing that while we might not be able to get anywhere because of snow we can still do the tropical thing as well as those Yanks.

A London-based four piece who've recently jumped off the Warpaint tour bus, Fiction set tongues a wagging and feet 'a grooving when they played at Offset Festival a few months back. They make music that combines delicate vocals with off kilter percussion just as well as any of the greats. Listen to their upcoming single ‘Big Things’ and you can hear the reverb tropical-punk of Talking Heads, XTC and Yeasayer, but really it’s tropical in the least tropical way possible. These guys take the tube to work, not a surfboard, and so they also stir a very British mean and moody synth pop into the mix. ‘Phyllis’ is definitely at the Maccabees end of the dance-punk spectrum while elsewhere you’ll be reminded of Joy Division. Although, as they point out, every band in the world is influenced by Joy Division so that’s a bit of a lazy comparison.

The band obviously have their quiffs set to stun and their hearts focused squarely on the big time. They’re full of grand statements about how they plan to revive music, and we blimmin’ love that. After all, if you’re going to make it, you’ve got to have a bit of bravado about your mission statement.

In fact, Fiction are already working on their own mythical status. Living up to their name, bassist Daniel Djan told NME journalists that he wears a key round his neck because “My grandfather owns a castle in Germany and I’m just waiting to find that castle. I keep trying with every lock when I go on holiday.” We're expecting to be seeing this on every press statement issued about them from now on.

Fiction then, you might not believe their tall stories but you should believe in them. These guys deserve to be big.

Kano: Interview

A lot of reviews have said that ‘Method To The Maadness’ is your most dancey record to date. What do you reckon? Is it an album designed for the clubs rather than the underground?

There are tracks for the clubs like 'Get Wild' and 'Crazy' but it's not a dance album in my opinion.


What do you dance to in a club then?

Possibly House Of Pain- Jump Around. But for me right now it's Rick Ross- BMF. That always gets the party started.


Any of your new tracks that you're particularly excited about?

I'm really proud of 'Get Wild' and 'Spaceship' but it's a complete body of work really, every track is from the heart and so unique.


You’ve previously spoken out about artistic integrity. Why is that so important to you?

If you are a true artist then you will always try to remain true to what it is that you do. I can't make music I hate, but I think the masses will love. Or music somebody tells me to make or worse, makes for me. I'm not a puppet, but there's a lot of them out there right now...


Jay-Z obviously thinks you're doing something right. He recently gave you a shout out on radio, that must have been quite an honour...

Yeah, it was. I really respect him as an artist and value his opinion. It's nice to see someone of his stature taking notice of what we're doing over here. He basically lives up there in the clouds so to be on his radar means you're standing out from the crowd.


He caught you on the Gorillaz tour. How has that been?

The tour's been great. It's my first time spending so much time in America and I've been playing in arenas every night. I can't complain. To be part of a show with a group of people that would never have normally got together is amazing. A real life changing experience for me. A world tour! It's been crazy.


And how has it been working with Damon?

I will always work with Damon any chance we get. We've done about three or four songs together now and it's always a new vibe with him. We're always thinking how can we push it further, whether its musically, lyrically, or whatever. We always want it to be different to what's out there at the moment and what we've done before.


The tour has given you the chance to collaborate with some amazing people. Anyone else on your wish list?

I'm blessed to have most of my favourites on 'Method To The Maadness' - Vybz Kartel, Wiley, Ghetts, Damon. I just missed out on Mos Def but hopefully that will happen at some point soon.


You distribute music via your own record label. Why did you decide to do that?

Just to have full control of the music I put out. Obviously when you sell records you make more money than you would otherwise too, but it's more about what suits me creatively at this moment in time.


Was it partly a reaction to the way the music industry is going?

Well, I think major record companies are gonna be in big trouble over the next few years. They know that too. They're not stupid. But their way of dealing with the immediate problem is by taking from the artist even harder than they were before. I think that's a bit wrong, but I get it. The thing is people will always need music. They've just got into a habit of not buying it.


You’re beloved by indie hipsters as well as hip hop heads. Why do you feel that is?

I don't know. They have good taste?! But really, all my albums have been diverse and so have the features I've done, from Gorillaz to Shy FX to Chase & Status, so its not surprising when I play a gig and the audience reflects that diversity.


What can we expect from you in 2011?

Another album. Maybe mix tapes too.



Finally, what do you want for Christmas?

A fucking present for once!

The Naked and Famous

A bit like a streaker running across Wimbledon centre court, a band called Naked and Famous are bound to grab your attention. Especially when they make the kind of music MGMT should have followed 'Time To Pretend' with instead of the dirgey, please take us seriously tripe they phoned in from an all night dwarves and cocaine party.

So, here's what we know. They're named after a line from a Tricky song. They're record breakers in their home country of New Zealand after their single 'Young Blood' became the first debut song by a Kiwi band to reach No 1 in 16 years. Girl singer Alisa Xayalith has one of the coolest names we've ever heard. And they're literally a cat's whisker away from signing a major label deal which will propel them into bloated super stardom faster than you can say “Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives”

Their sound, which you could slot happily between Passion Pit and the aforementioned, is a mix of the fizzy stadium rock, shoegaze and boy-girl harmony electro indie. Imagine gazing incredulously at your feet after you'd got over excited and spilt lemonade on your new trainers and you'd be somewhere near approaching tunes like 'Punching In A Dream' and 'All Of This'. The truth is, it isn't quite ready for consumption yet. It's music for festivals. Listening to it now in the bowels of winter will just make you feel resentful as you trudge through the cold streets of Dalston, but file it away and as soon as summer comes whip it out “Have you heard The Naked and Famous?” You can ask your envious friends. “They're going to be all over this year's John Peel Stage”

www.myspace.com/thenakedandfamous

More hear....

Ch-ch-check out 'Young Blood' on youtube

CAVE

Our current favourite drone-pysch-nu jazz collective are CAVE who are signed to Drag City- "they're the best, duh!"- and have been making busy since 2006 creating music to make the kids stroke their chins and move their feet. Just don't ask them how they make their sound. "We play music and it just comes out a certain way, we're not really sure how exactly... "

Hmm, so far so cryptic. Perhaps that's why they didn't get the props they deserved when they visited London a few weeks back. It seems us Londoners aren't that friendly to a band in need: "It was all going fine until our van broke down and people dont really seem to be super nice when you're homeless. No one offered us anywhere to stay" they moaned, perhaps unaware that they were talking to people who avoid eye contact on the tube at all costs. They didnt let that get them down though. They are pretty mellow sort of dudes and they vowed that when they return next week they are going to have "a really good time". Lock up your daughters now.

Where they are from, Columbia in Missouri, seems like a much friendlier kind of place. The kind of place that would not only offer up a floor to some hairy kraut rockers, but invite them in for a game of beer pong with some of those awsome red cups they have at american house parties. Everyone yammers on about LA and the whole Smell scene but for our money Columbia sounds just as cool. Known as college town USA its liberal and progressive. While the band admit that enthusiasm for Obama ("who?") has waned somewhat the majority of the population support the legalisation of cannabis, and the city has a great track record of making same sex couples feel welcome. Perhaps this is why it has such a vibrant hipster and psych music scene, spawning not only CAVE but their buddies Mahjongg, Lazer Crystal and the now defunct Warhammmer 48K. Together the bands are known as the Columbia Diaspora which is basically a fancy way of saying that they share studio space, play on eachother's records and ocassionally engage in a bit of inter band spooning (probably) Anyway, CAVE reckon there are all sorts of exciting things going down musically in ol' Missouri and urge you to check out HEATER and Jerusalem and the Starbaskets as soon as you can. They really are rather good.

After their "seemingly never ending European tour" is over the band have all sorts of projects in the pipeline including the release of a full length album in December (so far they've been more EP kinda guys) And what about 2011? " On New Years Eve we're playing a special show at the Hideout in Chicago. Then this March we're heading to New Orleans to play at our friends Mr Quintron and Miss Pussycat's house during Mardi Gras"

Let's hope they make them feel more welcome than we did. Oh, and in case you were wondering, their favourite caves are the Mark Twain complex (so called because the writer mentioned them in 5 of his books) They're in Missouri and they were discovered in either 1819 or 1820 by a dog who was chasing a panther (yep, you heard) and unearthed himself a geological treasure. Tours are one hour and 20 minutes ("A light jacket or sweater is recommended") and they also have a fudge shop. What's not to love?

http://www.myspace.com/realreelpro

http://www.marktwaincave.com/

Esben and the Witch @ Electrowerkz

In shadowy crannies journalists and industry types are circling, tweeting into Blackberries and, if they're more old school, scribbling into notebooks. T-shirts and tote bags are being flogged. Red Stripes are being downed and Jägerbombs shot down the hatch. Suddenly there's a chill, a kind of unearthly presence has taken hold. All eyes are focused front and centre. There's a hush. The stage flashes crimson and then icy blue, lighting up a skull and a tiny stuffed owl on one of the amps. A whirl of smoke puffs across the front row, obscuring everything in sight. And then, to perplexed cheers and a sound that's a bit like a Gregorian chant in a sandstorm, Esben and the Witch enter. Only their shadows are visible.

The buzz band of the moment couldn't have chosen a better venue for tonight's gig. Electrowerkz fits their reverb and spook-heavy shoegaze perfectly. Despite being huge and cavernous, it's strangely claustrophobic, perhaps due to the fact it used to be an old metalworks and may well be haunted by the ghosts of those who died in industrial accidents. On top of this, the décor is a hangover from the weekend's goth club night, Slimeworks, which has the lights as low as possible, the dayglo spotlights up as high as can be, and gives the impression that torture porn cages and cobwebs are not just for Halloween. It smells of bonfires (or is it burning flesh?). The overall feeling is one of being trapped inside the set of Saw 3D.

The band's performance ups the goth factor even more significantly. A bit like that old adage about rubbernecking at car accidents, you can't drag your eyes away, despite the music being so intense that it begins to bring you out in goosebumps. Singer Rachel's vocals are mournfully glacial, but can build to a bluesy howl when needed. The rumble of the bass, the crash of the cymbals and the pounding of the drums seem to control your heartbeat, slowing it one minute and then raising it to the point where you think you might have a panic attack the next. The whole ambience is strangely beautiful, while at the same time making you feel tense and twitchy. It's a bit like staring into the eyes of a deer and then watching it get mercilessly slaughtered.

Everything about the performance is cool and controlled, a masterclass in sustaining an audience's attention. But this is not necessarily through stage presence: besides a few mumbled expressions of thanks, there's very little interaction. Instead, the band retain complete autonomy because they make the kind of music you need to pay attention to. Not just because they're doing something 'important' (although there is a sense in the air that this is a band you 'should' like, a band that are breaking ground, that's not entirely the case. There's a bit of Siouxsie Sioux in there, some Birthday Party, some Jesus and Mary Chain, a little pinch of Joy Division.)

No, the reason you need to listen is because Esben and The Witch don't make throwaway music. They make long-player music, the kind of tunes that need a repeat listen before you can take them in. They're not for you trigger-happy iPod shufflers. They reward those people who feel they have the time and patience to perch cross-legged on their beds in silence (maybe by candlelight) and stare at the ceiling, not moving until they've ingested every bewitching morsel. They need to be savoured slowly, like a fine merlot. Or as one audience member put it as we shuffled out into the bitter November night: “They're the kind of band you want to have a sit down and a think about”. There's always the tube ride home.