Jeremy Warmsley

Different spec:Wearing specs and having a posh name needn't be an obstacle to pop stardom, as this Anglo-French singer from London is quickly proving. Jeremy Warmsley is the latest in a long line of specky popsters ranging from Nana Mouskouri to Jarvis Cocker, and he's currently making waves with his offbeat melange of music, influenced by artists on the odder end of the pop spectrum. His vocals are reminiscent of Robert Wyatt or Lower Third-period David Jones, while the songs steer well clear of the formulaic indie guitar style beloved of many of his Libertines-obsessed fellow Londoners. Warmsley has been lumped in with fellow electro experimentalists Patrick Wolf and Tom Vek, but he is a singular talent whose plummy name may soon be on everyone's lips.

Clean slate:Jeremy Warmsley's lyrical skills were honed while at Cambridge University, where he ran poetry nights with his friend Simon Mastrantone. He began writing songs at the tender age of 17 but, wary of becoming just another bloke-with-guitar or standard-issue singer-songwriter, he dumped all of his early musical efforts and went in a more experimental, avant-garde direction. His friends hated his new direction, says Warmsley, but fans sat up and took notice in summer 2005, when he released his debut single, I Believe in the Way You Move. (Sample lyric: "My mind is in the gutter but I'm looking up the skirts of the stars.") Warmsley writes and records his songs on a computer, playing all the instruments himself, and sometimes recruits friends to add unusual musical flourishes. The debut single featured Blaine Harrison from Mystery Jets, Simon Mastrantone and Emmy The Great. Jeremy then signed to Transgressive Records and released an acclaimed EP, 5 Interesting Lies, and went on tour with kooky singer Regina Spektor.

Moi non plus:Although he is half- French, Jeremy finds little affinity with French artists, apart from the ones in his mum's record collection, including Edith Piaf and Françoise Hardy. He cites such diverse artists as Animal Collective, Arcade Fire and Optimist Club as big influences, and also rates his West London mates Larrikin Love, Jamie T and Mystery Jets. He hates all the soundalike indie bands currently clogging the gig circuit; his own shows feature little in the way of jangly guitars, but can include anything from trombones to ukuleles to toy pianos to full-on rock band to classical ensemble.

Get CD:Jeremy's debut album, The Art of Fiction, was released in October, and features songs from his previous EPs, including Dirty Blue Jeans, I Knew that Her Face Was a Lie, 5 Verses and The Young Man Sees the City as a Chessboard, plus a re-recorded version of I Believe in the Way You Move. He's out on tour this month with Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.

Kevin Courtney