Gig(s) of the week THE Toytronic duo otherwise known as Psaap (pronoun ced Sap) took their eclectic live show featuring chickens (wooden ones), dolls, and plenty of cats to Galway last Tuesday as part of the inviteonly Heineken Green Sphere festival, and then onto Whelan's in Dublin the following night. Their music, ambient electronica which features brokendown household instruments and old toys as well as recordings of taps running, takes on a more meaty sound with the addition of four musicians, but was somewhat let down by poor sound and the incessant rambling of singer Galia Durant (below).

Up a few notches in professionalism was the double bill of California blues stompers Cold War Kids and east-coast indie darlings Clap Your Hands Say Yeah in Dublin's Tripod last Thursday night. While the latter thanked the crowd for their patience with a set dominated by new songs from Some Loud Thunder, the show flagged on many occasions primarily because of Alec Ounsworth's reluctance to be a frontman of any real charisma. Still, the 'old' stuff was worth a singalong, not least the crowd participation during 'Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood'.

Parlez vous Luan?

THE people have spoken.

The bizarre industry love-in otherwise known as the Meteor awards surprised everyone last week when the people decided that the best female artist in the country at the moment is a girl by the name of Luan Parle.

Not Sinead O'Connor, or Ann Scott, or Julie Feeney or Lisa Hannigan or Gemma Hayes or anyone else who's music you may have actually heard. No, Luan Parle. She was as surprised as the rest of us. . .

ndunphy@tribune. ie