Lulu and the Lampshades [link]

"If you were worried that there hadn't been a quirky folk-pop group for ages, one where they sing songs about Cherry Coke and pedal bikes and play them on a variety of make-shift instruments, then fear not: Lulu and the Lampshades are here to save the day. Their music is so cheery they could use it to advertise fun. They perform alongside dancing lampshades, hence their name. And their new single, Feet to the Sky, recalls the theme to 60s kids TV puppet show Camberwick Green, so if you're not in the mood for jolly and jaunty, you should probably alight here. But it would appear to be to a lot of people's taste, although that could be down to simple masochism: the YouTube video for their song You're Gonna Miss Me, featuring two members in a kitchen, wearing pyjamas and singing the song while beating out its rhythm on empty plastic cartons, has gone viral, with 55,000 hits in the last few days.

Did we say quirky? Wacky would also cover it. Or zany. Whimsical wouldn't be far off. This is, after all, an outfit who wrote their aforementioned single while cycling to Paris at 4am on New Year's Eve, who host cake-making parties and design and sell their own kerr-ay-zee T-shirts and believe their music is aimed at sex-starved gnomes. They started life when they formed a pretend group comprising Luisa on GarageBand and Heloise on "air-glockenspiel". Eventually they drafted in Jemma, the one who has been compared with Patti Smith and knows about chords and notes and stuff, and Dan, who makes strange facial expressions as he bashes things, not always drums. Now they're laying waste to venues the length and breadth of, well, Camden, mainly, stomping their feet and clapping their hands and generally smiling and being, ugh, IN A GOOD MOOD as they tout their winsome wares.

Sometimes their music is jazzy and swingy with shades of the Puppini Sisters. Other times it isn't. Often it reminds us that there is nothing remotely new under the sun: about 25 years ago, there was a micro-movement in London of young acts who would incorporate elements of folk, skiffle and bluegrass, groups with names like the Shillelagh Sisters, the Boothill Foot Tappers and one called Pogue Mahone, who later shortened it to the Pogues. The latter were fronted by a gentleman by the name of Shane MacGowan. He didn't smile much or clap his hands, although he would regularly smash household objects over people's heads. Still does, apparently." - Paul Lester, Guardian

Keston Cobblers Club [link]

"The distinctive sound that makes Keston Cobblers' Club so unique comes from a desire to create contemporary, catchy music, fused with the wholesome grittiness of traditional folk."

Nottee [link]

"The Lykke Li / Robyn comparisons are inevitable, so let’s get those out of the way right now. Yonge, blonde, Swedish, eccentric, minimal dance-y Björk-influenced pop – it also describes the provocatively named Nottee (née Nova Drougge), who, on the strength of only two tracks on her MySpace page (one of which is featured on the latest, influential Kitsuné compilation) is quickly gathering buzz. I was kind of hoping “Control” was a cover of the Janet Jackson classic, but Nottee’s track is just as jamming. Nice." - Jeffrey Geoffrey

Sophie-Rose [link]

This event has passed, therefore tickets are no longer available.