Micachu

Micachu and The Shapes have the sort of colourful sonic ballsiness that we've not been lead to expect from London acts, let alone such pop-oriented ones.

With their tropicalia-infused rhythms, stabs of bowel shaking sub bass and skronky, Beefheart-ed guitars you could easily imagine them at home in the currently much-lauded Los Angeles scene. Twenty-one-year-old Mica Levi, aka Micachu, places them firmly in London though, with the amiable chattiness of Lily Allen and the louche charisma of Pete Doherty allied to music a thousand times more vital, imaginative and fun than 99 per cent of those reference points' output.

The Shapes are one of the most fantastic examples of a backing band refusing to standardise or overwhelm the lead's songs or performance, with Marc Pell's lopsided but immaculately performed drumming and Raisa Khan's sparingly used keyboards giving just enough of a basis for Mica's weary-yet-insouciant musings to hold centre stage, and everyone's attentions.

That they appear to be getting so much of said attention is one of the most promising and reassuring stories in music at the moment. This is very, very exciting stuff.