Anna Calvi
Who? Guitar-twanging proto-Goth chanteuse. PJ Harvey with a sprinkling of Tori Amos. Or Florence in ten years time.
Nero
Who? Chart-bothering dubstep/grime technicians who really like that second Burial album but have realised that Pendulum sell more records.
White Lies
Who? They're a bit like Editors trying to sound more like Interpol, but their angsty little hearts are in the right place and they had the balls to open their debut album with a song called 'Death'.
Crystal Castles
Who? Canadian synth-fiddlers who conjure filling-loosening squalls of electro-venom tempered by soothing/stinging female vocals.
Pulp
Who? Blur or Oasis? Trick question. The correct answer was always Pulp. They were the smartest, sexiest and funniest band of the Britpop era - and they've just reformed for what should be a triumphant rack of nation-owning live shows this summer.
Patrick Wolf
Who? Multi-instrumental mentalist who mashes classical and electronic to stir up dizzy but breathtaking synthetic pop symphonies.
Lady Gaga
Who? The biggest pop star on the planet right here, right now. Whether you like it or not.
James Blake
Who? The most exciting thing to happen to British music since the Arctic Monkeys. A 22-year-old, classically trained pianist influenced by dubstep and Bon Iver. He's technical, playful and soulful.
Robyn
Who? Swedish electro-diva who's been increasingly hard to ignore since breaking through with 2005 Number 1 'With Every Heartbeat'. Busy girl, too. She released three albums last year.
The xx
Who? Foundation-school soundscapers whose miraculous, almost embarrassingly intimate debut album has been milked by lazy TV soundtrack buyers. Correctly and justly won the Mercury Prize last year - not that they needed the exposure.
Underworld
Who? Highly respected and ever-popular electronic duo, both now in their 50s (they've been recording together since 1980). Broke out with the widely misunderstood 'Born Slippy' off the back of Trainspotting , enjoyed a deserved resurgence with 2010's surprise critical and commercial hit album 'Barking'.
