The Brent Flood, Lauren Hogg and Kingsize

A miserably cold and wet Saturday evening in South West London, at a previously unexplored pub - The Selkirk. Despite copious traffic jams and navigational disasters, turns out the trip was well worth it.
So I may be slightly biased (seeing as Lauren is a good friend of mine) but despite this she was amazing. She has been described as the lovechild of Tracy Chapman, Alanis Morissette, Jose Gonzalez and Ray Lamontagne (if that were biologically possible). Her music is heartfelt, angst-ridden, harmonised and beautiful. Some songs will have you clapping and stamping your feet whilst others will captivate you entirely with their soft, acoustic melodies and hazy guitar strumming. Whilst her set was only five songs long, the intensity of the sound (fuelled by genuine heartbreak and the unending list of problems that life throws at you) supplies a perfect soundbite of a young singer-songwriter with what will hopefully be a very bright future.
Listen if you like: Ellie Goulding, Cat Power, Alanis Morisette
Kingsize were the second supporting act of the night, and while they aren't really my type of thing, they put on a good show. I enjoyed them live but not sure I would enjoy them on the comfort of my little ipod. With hints of the Libertines, the Clash and evident indie/rock influences, the noise they make is both exciting, vibrant and melodic.
Listen if you like: The Libertines, The Clash, Babyshambles
The main act of the night was The Brent Flood, an Anglo-Irish quartet from London, who have been working their way up the musical ladder since reaching the finals of the Nationwide O2 Battle of the Bands 2006. Having seen them twice now, their gigs are always a guitar-strumming, clever-lyricising and dancing-however-you-see-fit affair. Their songs are generally of the indie-pop-rock type, but of a far superior kind to those of bands such as the Pigeon Detectives and the Enemy. The lead singer Jay Marsh has a voice that fits the different moods and volumes of their songs perfectly, whether he's shouting his way through a fantastic cover of Bohemian Like You or lamenting over past loves in Katy McCain. The Brent Flood have something that makes them a little bit different from the hundreds of other generic indie bands out there at the moment, and their songs are catchy enough to hang around in your head for long enough, but not so long that it becomes annoying.
Listen if you like: Air Traffic, Editors, One Night Only

Click to download:
Heart on a Finish Line - Lauren Hogg
Katie McCain - The Brent Flood