Emmy the Great

Emmy The Great has some strange friends if her claim to writing songs about them is to be believed. Certainly, London's latest (and, dare I say it, greatest) anti-folk troubadour has led a colourful life thus far, moving from Hong Kong to London and ending up as a rollerskating waitress in one of the capital's most eclectic bars.

Playing to a tiny crowd doesn't perturb the plucky 22 year old as she ploughs through a seven song set ("they want me to do a short set so I'll play this one fast") with an intensity you'd imagine a certain Mr Zimmerman would have had back in '65. With no room for her backing band in the van, it's just Emmy with a guitar tonight but the sweetness of her voice ensures the spotlight would still be on her even if the Polyphonic Spree were up there.

Sounding like the illegitimate lovechild of Regina Spektor and Bob Dylan, her songs offer a window into an intriguing world where celebrating the life of a deceased friend by sprinkling champagne on his grave is acceptable behaviour and cutting your hair to be like Patti Smith is the done thing. Let's face it, Emmy The Average just doesn't sound as good, does it?