Wednesday August 2

James Morrison

Originally from Rugby before an absent father and a debt beleaguered mom saw him forever upping sticks until finally settling down in Derby, the 21 year old skinny white boy once turned down a leading role opposite Robin Williams in order to concentrate on his music. This, it turns out, is bluesy soul that, given the style, sound and Morrison’s slightly scuffed warm voice will doubtless churn up references to Mick Hucknall, Al Green, Terence Trent Darby, Stevie Wonder and (on If The Rain Must Fall) even early Rod Stewart once ears start latching on to his debut album, Undiscovered (Polydor).

As with many a first album, the material’s heavily autobiographical, with songs about his mom (This Boy), a smackhead mate (Undiscovered), a friend who lost then plot when he got into drugs (One Last Chance), breaking up with his long time girlfriend (The Pieces Don’t Fit Anymore), and, as with the musically upbeat, lyrically wounded Wonderful World (a likely massive single) and Call The Police, the frustrations of generally being a messed up kid.

Current hit, You Give Me Something, finds an optimistic note while still playing the hurt soulfulness and should prove a solid calling card for an album that seems destined to find Morrison hailed as this year’s James Blunt.

He’s better than that and, as one listen to the emotional drenched closing track The Last Goodbye will testify, this time next year he’ll be playing to thousand seater halls so I’d get in on the ground floor while you can.

7.30pm. £6. Bar Academy.

Thursday August 3

The Fratellis

Striking while the iron is proverbially hot with a swift follow up to the major label debut single Henrietta, the Glasgow trio get back on the road to promote Chelsea Dagger (Island), slightly slower in the fizz department perhaps but a track that’s proven something of a live favourite.

7.30pm. £9. Wulfrun Hall

Monday August 7

Peter, Bjorn and John

The Swedish trio have been around a while but new album, Writer’s Block (Wichita), is the first to introduce their oddball amalgam of retro power pop, 80s new wave and skewed indie to a UK audience. You may well have encountered their annoyingly catchy fuzzy sunny pop single, Young Folks, with its whistling hook and contribution by Victoria Bergsman from The Concretes (whose Teen Beat they covered on the previous album) and that’s a sensibility that pretty much characterises the rest of the album. Amsterdam calls to mind They Might Be Giants, Start To Melt dives into Mary Chain psychedelia, The Chills marries Krautrock and lysergic washes of pop while Objects of My Affections sets Greenwich Village folk rock and Squeeze to military beat and jangling guitars and Let’s Call It Off has the whiff of Gallic 60s pop.

The aptly titled Roll The Credits shows a fondness for widescreen sonic landscapes but they’re just as comfortable on the smaller musical sidewalks of Paris 2004 with its jaunty skipping down the boulevards sunshine sparkle. Given the studio trickery that enhances the sound, I’m not sure just how well the album translates to the live format, but there’s certainly inventive enough here to find out.

Sharing the night are another of the current fad for Soviet monikers, The Russian Futurists. This lot come from Canada and, oft likened to a cocktail of Magnetic Fields, Brian Wilson and Flaming Lips, they’re here to plug Me Myself and Rye (Memphis Industries), a gathering together of tracks from their three Canadian albums that include such whimsical titles as Our Pen's Out Of Ink, My Big Brown Eyes And My Big Broke Heart, It's Not Really Cold When It Snows, and Let's Get Ready To Crumble alongside the ridiculously infection shuffling pop single Paul Simon.

7.30pm. £6. Bar Academy

Tuesday August 8

The Cat Empire

Now here’s an interesting one. A six piece from Melbourne who are massive in Australia and the Edinburgh Festival alike, they play a concoction of jazz, soul, hip-hop, salsa, reggae and rock that defies anyone not to get up and shake a hip or two. Musically, it’s not exactly original but, led by vocalist Felix Riebl, these guys give it a kick up its backside with slick playing and a solid energy. Recorded in Cuba, new album Two Shoes (Virgin) opens with Sly, its driving beat, blasts of brass, and sweeping boogie woogie keyboards evoking the 60s garage soul of Sam the Sham if they had Strine accents, before slipping into the Latin groove In My Pocket and then a scratching 60s calypso gone hip hop hybrid Lullaby that sounds bizarrely like Chas n Dave crossed with Kid Coconut.

The Cuban experience is spread all over Sol Y Sombra, a track that’ll get cha cha fans on their feet while Saltwater is an infectious ska skanker complete with sunny Caribbean horns, Lullaby a lazy tropical jazzed incarnation of Madness and Protons, Neutrons, Electrons a sort of zip ah dee doo dah jug band soft shoe shuffle love song that almost harks back to the days of the Mixtures and The Pushbike Song.

There’s a definite playful streak here, rollicking along on a rock n rolling The Car Song, playing the sentimental ballad card for Miserere where The Streets meets Billy Joel and a Latin choir and winding up with the closing time, tipsy The Night That Never End where they pile their myriad influences into one big brassy party sway. Ideally they should be enjoyed in the sunshine while clutching a cool cocktail and wearing open toed sandals, so hopefully Sounds in the Round might look at inviting them for next year’s season; meanwhile shake and enjoy.

7.30pm. £10. Carling Academy 2

Thursday August 10

Captain

Around this way just a couple of weeks back, they return now clutching bright shiny copies of their debut album, This Is Hazelville (EMI). If you’ve yet to discover their charms, they’re a boy girl five piece with a thing for 80s electro pop coupled to acoustic guitars although the catchy Human League stylings of first single Broke isn’t really symptomatic of the album which favours a generally moodier, slightly shadowier ambience more in keeping with gathering late summer evenings than afternoon romps around the fountains.

They do nudge the dance hormones with the swing vibed This Heart Keeps Beating For Me and a poppy Frontline, but its the midtempo washes of East,West, North, South and Hazelville that set the dominant pace here, and if you listen past the electro clothing of tracks like Build A Life, Wax, Summer Rain and Western High you’ll discover that, at heart, they’re really a classic pop band with an ear for West Coast soft rock while the closing Accidie has far more in common with The Beautiful South than Phil Oakey and his ladies. Rather lovely really and, if the weather lasts, they could well prove one of the real soundtrack to the summer.

7.30pm. £6.50. Little Civic

Thursday August 10-Sunday August 13

The 20th Bulldog Bash

Hundred Reasons

The annual weekend for bikers and hard rock reaches a milestone anniversary with a pretty impressive line up that embraces everything from your standard air guitar headbanging to thrash, alt-metal and more poppier shades of riffery.

Thursday gets under way from 7pm with Sweet Black Angels for an evening that lines up Hellrazor and headliners Hell’s Bells. Friday starts the noise at 4.30 in the afternoon with Rattlesnake Remedy, proceeding through Engerica, Skindred and Paradise Lost to bill closers The Almighty. On then to Saturday with Pitchshifter headlining the weekend’s strongest line up that opens with Love Rocket and takes in Losing Son, Welsh AC/DC fans The Answer, Breed 77 and the increasingly radio friendly Hundred Reasons.

The Answer

In addition the fest will showcase a dance tent and 30 of the UK’s best unsigned rock bands as well as including the usual bikehead attractions of races, custom machines, exhibitions, wrestling bouts and white-knuckle rides.

 £50. Shakespeare County Raceway, Long Marston, near Stratford On Avon

Friday August 11

Talk

Originally called Telex until the Belgian techno-poppers reformed and asked for the name back, this is the Shrewsbury electronicafolk quartet founded by singer/guitarist Andy Kyriakou and keyboardist Rob Tranter who released the ethereal new age cosmic pop EP Byp/Ctrl last year with its mix of Simon & Garfunkel folk and early Pink Floyd.

They return now with new single Bypass Control (Fortune & Glory), a slightly more post rock affair hewn from underground forest caverns and tied to the driving krautrock beats of some clanking cosmic Hogwarts Express while spoken samples and vocals compete to stoke the boiler. All very much in contrast to the accompanying Return To Factory, an ethereal swim into electronic clouds, Dave Gilmour guitars, Kraftwerk vocoders and Neu bleeps. Should be a suitably head expanding gig.

 8.30pm. £4. Flapper & Firkin

Saturday August 12

The Proclaimers

Just over a year since they appeared in the open air arena last, Craig and Charlie Reid return to bring this year’s Sounds in the Round to a finale. There’s no new release in the wings, but the boys have been busy writing material for the next album so there’s every chance there’ll be the odd try out here, maybe even the theme tune they’ve penned for new comedy sketch series Dry Your Eyes. Other than that, expect them to give another slap on the back to current album, Restless Soul, with the likes of I’m Gone, One More Down and The One Who Loves You Now, as well as the usual greatest hits singalong to I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) and Letter From America.

7.30pm. £15.50 mac Arena

Sunday August 13

M Ward

Occasional Bright Eyes guitarist, producer of Jenny Riley’s debut album and general all round in demand songwriter, Matt Ward’s last album, Transistor Radio, was an affectionate, organic throwback to the days of late 40s/early 50s country radio stations, old frontier folk music that embraced covers of Brian Wilson and the Carter Family alongside his own wistful, hushed lullabies and the odd rockabilly workout.

He returns to these shores now with album number five, Post-War (4AD), adopting a band approach for a sound that’s more contemporary yet also timeless. Joined in sessions by Neko Case and My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, Ward’s scuffed weary husk of a voice is wrapped around a collection of aftermath themed numbers, both rowdy acoustic stompers like Right In The Head and his live favourite cover of the late Daniel Johnson’s To Go Home, and the dreamier, quieter moments of the lapping Eyes On The Prize, the late night blues lounge title track, the rolling folk pop of the ultra romantic Poison Cup and the soft rumble waikiki lounge vibe of the aching Today’s Undertaking.

He does fuzzy gospel on the valedictory Requiem, clapalong sunny folk pop with One Magic Trick (sounding like a backwoods one man Polyphonic Spree) while the catchy train rhythm chugging Chinese Translation with its wisdom of love and life lyric seems set to become a much requested classic. He even chucks in a 60s styled surfy instrumental, Neptune’s Net that will hopefully also surface in what promises to be yet another unmissable set.

8pm. £7.50. Glee Club

Wednesday August 16

Cud

A decade since they split up and went off to pursue individual pursuits like writing novels, appearing in Emmerdale drawing Sindy comics and taking part in cycle races, the erstwhile Peel favourites have bowed to fan pressure and got back together for a one-off reunion tour.

For those too young to remember the chiffon shirted Leeds scallywags during  their eight year incarnation, there’s a handy primer double CD out in the shape of the career spanning Rich and Strange: The Anthology (Universal) which pulls together the fan favourites, assorted rarities and even some previously released material.

It’s testament to the band’s influence on the likes of the Kaisers and Franz F that both their 1992 Top 30 hits, the swaggery indie pop Rich and Strange and the funky Purple Love Balloon could easily have been lifted from this year’s charts.

Likewise Tourniquet and the glorious pop rush of their final 1994 single One Giant Love presaged the current revival of interest in Scott Walker while the likes of the bluesy Look Up On The Bottom, Ariel’s tumbling pop, the slack guitar riffing of I’ve Had It With Blondes, the choppy Roxyish Hey Wire and, among the ‘new’ numbers, the swaying widescreen John Barry styled ballad The Dream Is Killing Me and the swelling sonics of Stay could all comfortably slot on to several of the current Mercury Music Prize nominations.

Blessed with the rich deep voice of Carl Puttnam, the band were not only musically accomplished and strong songwriters, they also had a playful sense of wit, evident here on their raw and raucous Peel Sessions covers of You Sexy Thing and Living In The Past, a blisteringly rowdy version of Lola and their own independent Top 10 gem Only (A Prawn In Whitby).

It’s unthinkable that that, along with live favourite Robinson Crusoe, won’t rear its head on the set list tonight but with 20 singles and five albums there’s certainly plenty of material to choose from. Long time devotees should be out in force to celebrate the return, but I daresay it’s the new generation of indiekids who are really going to appreciate and enjoy the revelations most. And let’s hope the band decide it’s worth the effort to stick around for a while too and show the young whippersnapper pretenders how it’s really done.

7.30pm. £10. Carling Academy 2

Thursday August 17

Howling Bells

Coming to the end of a gruelling tour that climaxes with their appearances at the Leeds and Reading Fests, the PJ Harveyesque Australian four piece are either going to be worn out with constant repetition of the debut album set list or on molten hot form with any gremlins and kinks ironed out. Those who’ve caught early shows will hope it’s the latter, since their past form delivering the likes of Wishing Stone, Blessed Night, the strung out folkadelia A Ballad For The Bleeding Hearts and In The Woods’ 60s West Coast flavours has been pretty electrifying already.

7.30pm. £6. Little Civic (+ Mon Aug 21, 7.30. £6. Barfly)

Friday August 18

Lorraine

Pet Shop Boys style synthpop’s the name of the game for the Norwegian trio, the vocals a happy meeting point between Tennant and Morrissey. By the time you read this they should be cracking open a few Kronenbourgs to celebrate the destined chart success of new creamy pop single Transatlantic Flight (Waterfall) and their continued progress to become the next A-ha.

7.30pm. £6. Barfly

Friday August 18

Little Man Tate

Hailing from Sheffield and taking their name from the Jodie Foster movie, the four piece have been compared to Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs and Carter USM, described as punk funk and ascribed influences as diverse as Blur and The Streets. There’s probably a bit of truth about all that, but get down to the nitty gritty and they’re really a solidly uncomplicated indie pop pub outfit with a strong hint of The Men They Couldn’t Hang and Levellers to their folk flavours and rousing man the barricades hooks and chorus flourishes.

Following on from the rousing What? What You Got they’re out on the road to plug new single House Party At Boothy’s (Yellow Van), another bouncy slice of ordinary life with romping guitars about every party you’ve ever crashed with people throwing up in the garden, bedroom bonking and too much flat beer and bad chat up lines.

They’ll never have artistic cred, but on the strength of their recording career to date, they’ll always guarantee a good heaving on the dance floor night out.

 6.30pm. £9. Carling Academy 2

Monday August 21

Eagles of Death Metal

Still best known as the only consistent ingredient of Queens of the Stone Age, Josh Homme warrants a musical family tree all of his own, what with his days as part of Kyuss and collaborations with the likes of Screaming Trees, Foo Fighters, PJ Harvey and UNKLE.

This is his joint side project with occasional QotSA guitarist and childhood mate Jesse Hughes, formed back in 1998 their debut album, Peace Love Death Metal, appearing six years later.

They’re back again with Death By Sexy (Sony), cited influences that include T Rex, the Stones (right down to the sleeve parody), Little Richard, and James Brown still very much in playful evidence on a set of 70s blues rock flavoured songs about girls, sex, girls, rock n roll and girls. Opening with the swaggering I Want You So Hard where Eddie Cochrane meets Canned Heat and Marc Bolan, guitars are cranked up and tongues are crammed into cheeks as they pastiche the Kinks doing the Stooges on Cherry Cola, bang out an AC/DC riff for Poor Doggie, serve up cod country in whistle along Bag of Miracles, rockabilly on Chase The Devil and T Rex bluegrass slide with Solid Gold. No prizes for guessing what they attempt on Eagles Goth.

It’s all a bit of ramshackle mess really, but the guys are clearly having fun playing out their rock n roll fantasies and there’s no reason to think audiences won’t as well.

 7pm. £8.50. Carling Academy 2

Tuesday August 22

The Spinto Band

The Delaware sextet with their double helping of brothers, have been making sizeable waves with debut album, Nice and Nicely Done’s catchy cocktail of nu-indie guitar pop soaked in such influences as Brian Wilson, Talking Heads, XTC, Yo La Tengo, the Turtles, The Flaming Lips and, one Oh Mandy, even 10cc.

Quirky instrumentation (kazoo on Brown Boxes, glockenspiel on Trust vs Mistrust) and arrangements add to the flavour while things like the Devo meets Barry Manilow summer ballad Direct To Helmet and the Beach Boys gone disco Crack The Whip are aimed straight for the feet.

7.30pm. £6.50. Bar Academy

Friday August 25

GoodBooks

Rising from the ashes of The Fingerprints, things seem to be shaping up nicely for their spiky synth clattering indie pop. Having shifted all copies of the self-released Valves & Robots EP, they hooked up with Transgressive for Walk With Me, a strikingly moody edge of menace nerve-fraying number with hypnotic intense riff, tumbling drum beat and repeat title line chant in the final stretch. A track that itches likes needles under the skin, if there’s more where that came from - and Passchendaele suggests there is - when they finally release the debut album, then next year could well be theirs for the taking.

 8.30pm. £5. Jug of Ale, Moseley.

Tuesday August 29

My Morning Jacket

Having had to cancel their dates earlier this year due to illness, the Kentucky outfit finally arrive with a belated follow up to last year’s Z album. Rather than progressing the Neil Young/Skynyrd direction of its predecessor, they’ve gone more cosmic with echoing reverb and late night desert sky atmospherics finding grand _expression on the likes of Gideon. Wordless Chorus and Dondante.

Not exclusively so, of course, you’ll still hear southern rock roots on Lay Low and vocalist Jimmy James’ Neil inflections on the wistful pedal steel echoey Knot Comes Loose and the spooky carnival mood of Into The woods while What A Wonderful Man combines the sounds of The Who and Polyphonic Spree to soaring pop effect and Off The Record harks back to the sunny staccato pop of the 60s.

Whether this new sensibility will also apply itself to the old material remains to be heard, conveniently so with the forthcoming release of a double live album, Okonokos, which, with a line up that includes much of Z as well as the earlier likes of I Will Sing You Songs, the Cortez the Killer styled One Big Holiday, Mahgeeta and Dancefloors seems likely to form the basis of tonight’s set list.

7.30pm. £11. Carling Academy 2

Tuesday August 29

Metric

Toronto electropop with Emily Haines’s feathery sweet female voice counterpointed by Sonic Youth style blasting guitars and chugging rhythms, Metric inevitably summon thoughts of PJ Harvey in places, but they also filter in rawkus CBGBs punk with Monster Hospital, shades of krautrock on Poster of a Girl and bubbling Gallic ambience to The Police and the Private.

Much of this is punching, sometimes squally rock, banging it out in fierce form with Patriarch on a Vespa, James Shaw ripping out a screaming guitar solo for Empty and prickling the nerve endings with Too Little Too Late but always keeping an eye on the melodic side of things, particularly so on the hardpop of Handshakes and the fragile piano and fuzz moodpiece of Ending Start.

Likely to build a bigger wall of noise live as riffs are cranked higher and cacophony’s given a free rein to match the often venomous undercurrent of the lyrics with Glass Ceiling the one you’ll be calling for as a repeat encore.

 7pm. £6. Bar Academy