Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains
Monto Water Rats, WC1, Sat 07; The Lexington, N1, Wed 11 Feb
The ex-Death From Above 1979 man brings his new direction. Sharp change of tack to Canadian pop–rock.
Howling Bells
O2 Academy Islington, N1, Mon 09 feb
The Australian band bring some more agreeably dusty, emotive rock.
The Cribs
Heaven, WC2, Tue 10 Feb
The Jarman brothers – and new celebrity recruit Johnny Marr – bring their customary crowd-involving rock. Devotional scenes duly surround the northern band.
Buraka Som Sistema
The Scala, N1, Thu 12 Feb
MIA-reminiscent scenes of shouty, world-music infl uenced mayhem.
Keane
O2 Arena, SE10, Thur 12, Fri 13 Feb
Tom "Charlie" Chaplin – as Pete Doherty nicknamed him – leads the piano rockers, now on a markedly 1980s tip. Not doing them any harm, it appears.