My next gig, for the darling Muso's Guide, is taking place on Wednesday January 20 at The Monarch, 49 Chalk Farm Road. It's a killer line-up!

But why?

(1) AMAZING BANDS

Cats and Cats and Cats - http://www.myspace.com/catsandcatsandcats

Headliners Cats and Cats and Cats are masters of their trade, crafting elegantly layered extravagance while never once containing their pounding experimentalism. A 5-piece who formed at the University of Hertfordshire, they’ve played Radio 1 sessions for Huw Stephens, released a split album with This Town Needs Guns through Big Scary Monsters and been brilliantly received by the NME, BBC 6Music and Rocksound. Tours profusely followed, including support-slots with iLiKETRAiNS, Errors, Tellison and 65daysofstatic. One minute it’s deftly-constructed orchestral folk-pop, the next it’s an agitated rhythmic fight-off; they’re masters of their own vision.

“Violin and trumpet echo over atmospheric and mathy guitars, accompanied by a shaky yet confident voice as the band pounds and crescendos all over the shop” - thefourohfive.com

“The musical culmination of everything good you can say about Mew and Arcade Fire - 9/10? - DrownedinSound.com

“Gorgeous in a ferocious kind of way” - Steve Lamacq, Radio 1

Stairs To Korea - http://www.myspace.com/stairstokorea

Stairs To Korea is Will Vaughan, a frighteningly talented half-Icelandic multi-instrumentalist who crafts skewed pop music using an array of effects, synthesisers and a dinky white guitar. Sugar-coated harmonies meet bended brass lines and intricate guitar motifs in his unique paeans to growing up, going out and getting lost in the 21st century. And he’s signed to good-guys Brainlove Records, for extra kudos.

“Over three glorious minutes ‘Boy Bear It In Mind’ wrestles with more melodies and ideas than most bands do across a whole album. This is how pop should be” – Sounds XP

“The chorus evolves into a million-part harmony that ascends like a helium balloon gone AWOL into the stratosphere… an enjoyable re-twisting of traditional ideas” – Artrocker

“Equipped with a tender voice and pure talent in creating so many sounds with only one pair of hands, this man is the latest in our eternal hunt for shonky heartfelt interesting pop music” – Musosguide.com

Ute - http://www.myspace.com/utetheband

Ute are a young three-piece from Oxford who’ve been fast gaining a reputation for their incendiary, genre-bending live shows. Pushing the boundaries of folk, their music features entrancing clapping patterns, room-filling harmonies and pensive structures that leave the listener wondering what’s going to happen next. They recently played to a super-packed show at The Social and have played several super busy shows at the Strongrooms and The Windmill. They have shared the stage with such artists as Maps, The Big Pink and Maps and Atlases, and have received airtime from Steve Lamacq.

“knack for diversity and power… a mix of influences and sounds wrapped up in an accomplished package” - thelineofbestfit.com

“Ute mix genres and influences with a totally new refinement” - the mistaken press

“It’s their differentness that attracts me; a musically-adept combination of the familiar and the odd… definitely one to watch” - Nightshift

(2) AMAZING POSTER

The beaut can be viewed at the Facebook event page, where you will click 'attending': http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=175794989230&ref=ts

(3) AMAZING CHEAPNESS

Only £5 from http://www.wegottickets.com/event/64114

Sold?