Anna Calvi

London's Anna Calvi smiles sweetly. She does that a lot. She doesn't seem like a person who makes monsters. Or, indeed, a kind of music that rages like wild emotions adrift in stormy seas; performed, on stage, with a fierce, laconic poise. There is definitely some split personality going on here. 'When I play live I'm a different person,' Anna smiles, sweetly. 'I feel powerful and fearless. All the things I wish I felt in everyday life.' Anna Calvi's self-titled debut album is about lust and love, devils, and a new take on David Lynchian dramatic surrealism. Anna explains it best as 'a record about the internal forces in life which are out of your control and can take you over, and how you survive them. It explores intimacy, passion and loneliness. There is an element of darkness to the record but there is also a sense of hope. . . This album is the culmination of my whole life up until now.' Brian Eno has championed her as the most visionary female artiste since a certain Patti Smith, Nick Cave has just taken her out around Europe as special guest of Grinderman, and Rob Ellis (PJ Harvey's right hand studio man) has produced the music. An inspired guitarist influenced by Django Rheinhard as much as Jimi Hendrix, and with vocals inspired by Nina Simone and Maria Callas, the music is a passionate and incredibly original mix.