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Conrad Astley
17/ 2/2006

GLAM electro pop act Goldfrapp produce the type of music that leaves you feeling wrapped in sound.

Heavy on the synthesiser, strings and dreamy vocals, the Bath duo Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory have followed in the footsteps of the likes of Portishead and Lamb.

But, thanks to Alison's super sexy Marlene Dietrich-inspired image and the use of Ooh La La for the recent T-Mobile advert, they have managed to do what the other bands couldn't -find a truly mainstream audience.

That's reflected in the chart positions of the singles from the latest album Supernature, with Ooh La La reaching number four in the UK charts and Number 1 reaching number 9.

The third single Ride a White Horse was released earlier this week and we're yet to see where it is likely to reach.

It has been an unusual route to fame for Alison. She sang on her friend Tricky's album Maxinquaye in 1995 while still at Middlesex University and then also lent her vocals on Orbital's Snivilization after she was heard yodelling while milking a cow at a party.

Demos of her own music were passed on Will Gregory, who originally wrote film scores, and the two decided to perform under Alison's last name, signing to London-based record label Mute in 1999.

The first album Felt Mountain was nominated for a Mercury music prize, with Alison's vocals enhanced by synthesisers set over music inspired by 1980s synth pop, classical film scores and traditional folk music.

Black Cherry, their second album released in 2003, took them in a new direction with groovy drum beats and they've moved on again with Supernature, with its disco and glam rock influences.

This time it's Marc Bolan meets Massive Attack and proves their popularity is well deserved.

Goldfrapp play The Apollo on February 18 and 19.

MELANCHOLY country music star Ryan Adams plays the Bridgewater Hall after a mammoth 2005.

The North Carolina singer released no less than three albums last year, Cold Roses and Jacksonville City Nights with his new band the Cardinals and solo album 29 in late December.

But he's always been difficult to define as an artist.

As he grew up he was influenced by country but developed a taste for punk in his early teens, he then began playing electric guitar and formed a band called the Patty Duke Syndrome.

Yearning for something more melodic he returned to his roots after several years on the Jacksonville punk scene, and formed alt-country band Whiskeytown, before going solo in 2000 and releasing the critically acclaimed Heartbreaker, which as the title suggests is full of sad, lovelorn songs.

But he has partially retained that punk attitude and is well known for his appalling temperament and fondness for drink.

Songs on later albums are more rock than country and he was actually nominated for a Grammy award for a cover of Oasis' Wonderwall on his 2003 album Love is Hell.

He's certainly prolific. After Heartbreaker in 2000, he released Gold in 2001, Demolition in 2002, Rock N Roll and Love is Hell in 2003 and then the three last year.

All are best listened to after you've been dumped, preferably in favour of your best friend.

The critics loved Heartbreaker but sales were slow. Then on September 7, 2001, Ryan made a video for his song New York, New York from his Gold album, in which he adopted the more rock 'n' roll style.

The video featured Ryan standing on the Brooklyn shoreline with the twin towers in the background singing, "I still love you New York". Needless to say it was shown on US TV almost constantly in the following weeks and months.

His popularity soared but Ryan hasn't been afraid to produce the music he wants, regardless of record sales or critics' opinions - who struggle to come to terms with his changing style and often uncompromising attitude.

This attitude has produced two memorable incidents, mainly for their hilarity. He ejected a fan from a Nashville concert in 2002 after he jokingly shouted a request for the Bryan Adams song Summer of '69, something Ryan didn't find very funny despite the fact that he shares a birthday with his near namesake.

He also left a drunken message on the answer machine of US music critic Jim Derogatis in response to the critic's review of a concert that was then leaked to the internet.

It should be an interesting and enjoyable gig either way, especially if Valentine's Day didn't go quite as planned.

Just don't ask for Everything I Do.

Ryan Adams plays Bridgewater Hall on February 20.

THE three nights James Blunt plays the Apollo could be a mass outing for his fans in more ways than one. Because no-one seems sure who they are.

His song You're Beautiful was one of the most moaned-about and satirised tunes of last year and established his name in Cockney rhyming slang.

Yet the tune, apparently inspired by spotting an ex on the tube with a new man, spent five weeks at number one, so somebody must have been buying it - and the chance to see the singer live could draw them out of the woodwork.

It could be that floppy-haired Blunt produces anodyne music because he's used to being the same as everyone else - he's from a military family and went for the a life of uniformity at Harrow and the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

He even changed his name from the original James Hillier Blount to make it easier for people to say. Bet he regrets that nowadays, from a rhyming slang perspective.

But whatever the draw, he has certainly succeeded in selling records in their thousands to some people, somewhere.

Music critics have suggested Blunt's music is for "bored housewives" and maybe his background as a military captain in the Nato peacekeeping force in Kosovo and as a guard for the Queen has endeared him to an older generation of fans, or that his song inspired by his time in the army have an appeal to those who believe in the romance of a soldier's life.

On the other hand, perhaps the Apollo will be packed with teenagers hunting a soppy public schoolboy whose tickets are easier to get hold of than the ones to see Chris Martin were.

We will see on Wednesday.

James Blunt plays the Apollo from February 22.

THE Moscow State Circus is absolutely the greatest show on earth.

It has become one of the most famous travelling circuses in the world because of the sheer quality of talent in its shows, which combines with all the usual fun, flair and atmosphere of the circus tradition to create a great day or evening out which is equally appealing for families and adults.

The performers genuinely push the limits of human ability, achieving the apparently impossible through sheer force of strength and flexibility.

Stars of the show at the Lowry will include the Slavos, a springboard group whose somersaulting skills are renowned, strongman Bakhrom Akhnazarov and the Andrey Mikheev Troupe of aerial gymnasts.

The Bugrova Sisters will also perform a traditional rola rola act of standing on a plank on a cylinder on a platform while someone juggles on their shoulders, which may not sound all that impressive but looks a lot more exciting in reality.

The level of skill required may put people off running away with the circus, but it's definitely worth rolling up for.

The Moscow State Circus is at The Lowry from February 23.

FROM their name, you could imagine The Go! Team having been dreamt up by some kind of American-style executive teambuilding guru.

And its true that their music is very much a team thing - even though the original ideas mainly come from band leader Ian Parton, it's the interaction between the six members and the fusion of their diverse talents (from banjo-playing to rap) that has made their them such a success.

In terms of recording, they are even more of a collaborative effort - legal wrangles over samples have dogged their record releases and an altered, `legal', version of the Mercury Prize-nominated Thunder, Lightning, Strike had to be produced because some samples couldn't be cleared for use.

But while their music goes down a storm stateside the Brighton-based band have steered clear of too much American commercialism. They could easily have achieved superstardom by now, but have refused the offer of fame and riches by turning down people who wanted to use their music for commercial purposes, most notably McDonalds.

The six members are all into different music and all have their own style of performance and reviews of their world tour have suggested they are one of the most exciting bands to see live at the moment.

Parton has said he would rather be part of a small-scale band people have a soft spot for than become a megastar, and the Go! Team are definitely achieving that ambition.

The Go! Team play Academy One on February 18.