Clocking in at a lean 38 minutes, Flash Fiktion's self-titled debut album featured 11 polished nuggets of mutant pop, glam-punk stomps, sunny electro-pop and peculiar hybrids. Catch them in Norwich. Plus: Port Isla, The School and Razorlight.

FLASH FIKTION

Open, June 8

Clocking in at a lean 38 minutes, Flash Fiktion's self-titled debut album featured 11 polished nuggets of mutant pop, glam-punk stomps, sunny electro-pop and peculiar hybrids that melted together twinkling psychedelia and tropical rhythms.

The album was the result of two years work by Matt (vocals, guitar, keyboard, samplers), Ollie (vocals, guitar) and Dan (drums, percussion). 'It's a long time to work on something,' admits Matt. 'But it was essential that we spent a while really sculpting it.'

It's certainly not the sort of record you would expect to come from humdrum South London. Flash Fiktion was born from the songwriting partnership of Matt and Ollie but just as big an in?uence is Dan's limber, ?uid drumming coupled with his Latin and Afro-Cuban in?uences. 'I grew up right by the Mediterranean and Latin music was a huge in?uence,' says the drummer. 'Sometimes modern studio tools suck the life out of the music. Cuban music has been around for hundreds of years and remains the most danceable music on the planet.'

For all their talk of Latin beats, the trio are in essence a psychedelic indie-electro act, whose riotous music nods to Klaxons, early Blur, Adam Ant and Simian Mobile Disco.

t Further listening: www.flashfiktion.co.uk

PORT ISLA

Bicycle Shop, June 13

Recently crowned Rocket From The East winners Port Isla make their debut at the Bicycle Shop. Expect classic Laurel Canyon style influenced song-writing mixed up with the kind of soaring harmonies Fleet Foxes would be proud of.

The alt-folk foursome were crowned winners of the inaugural Rocket From The East band competition after beating off the likes of Hemingway, Darwin & The Dinosaur, Cathedrals & Cars, King Laconic, Turning Days and We Can't Dance.

The competition prize meant they were on the bill at last weekend's Playfest, but here they return to a more intimate setting which arguably better suits their baroque-pop and folky sound, which takes in influences ranging from The Beatles to Fleet Foxes, with a little bit of Coldplay thrown in along the way.

Special guests on the evening — making rare, but very welcome solo appearances — will be Rory Hill, better known as one of The Kabeedies, and Graham Horne, a member of The Barlights.

t Further listening: www.soundcloud.com/port-isla

THE SCHOOL

Waterfront, June 13

With heavy influences of 1960 girl pop and the modern indie-pop sounds of Camera Obscura and Belle & Sebastian, Cardiff pop band The School call into the Studio at the Waterfront.

They arrive promoting their second album – Reading Too Much Into Things Like Everything, which has just been released through Madrid's lauded Elefant Records.

It's the follow-up to debut set Loveless Unbeliever which made more than 70 'Best of 2010' lists and was 6 Music's Album of the Day.

Made up of eight members, the outfit is fronted by charming Liz from the also very charming bubblegum psychedelic popsters The Loves.

The School's style is a Brit version of sunshine pop. Sophisticated, happy songs, with a little melancholy thrown in them, inspired by The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Phil Spector and girl bands from the 60s.

The new album has been produced by Dave Wrench who has previously worked with British Sea Power, Bat For Lashes and Norfolk's own Beth Orton. The new songs move from pop dreaminess to tracks with little snips of bitterness and melancholic goodbyes.

If you are young, The School can teach you a thing or two about perky summer pop. If you are older, you'll wallow in nostalgic, but timeless sounds.

t Further listening: www.theschoolband.co.uk

RAZORLIGHT

Thetford Forest, June 14

One of the key guitar bands of the past decade, Razorlight has shifted over four million albums, sold out arena tours, headlined numerous festivals and appeared on the cover of magazines from NME to Vogue.

Currently working on their fourth album, they find time to slip away from the studio to headline the first of this summer's gigs in Thetford Forest.

The band's previous three albums, Up All Night, Razorlight and Slipway Fires, generated a string of hits like Golden Touch, Rip It Up, Somewhere Else, In The Morning, Wire to Wire and the super-catchy chart-topper America.

This date amid the Thetford trees is among a number of outdoors shows the band are doing over the summer before return to the confines of the studio to complete the album. Expect to hear some new material among the more familiar hits.

Frontman Johnny Borrell said: 'We are very pleased to be doing a gig in Thetford Forest. We like the ethos behind these shows and it will be great to perform our hits alongside new material.'

t Further listening: www.razorlight.co.uk

SOUNDS IN THE CITY

JUNE 8

Flash Fiktion (electro/punk/pop) — Open

Norwich Blues Explosion: feat. Dove & Boweevil + more (blues/folk) — Arts Centre

Guns 2 Roses + Metallica Reloaded (metal/tribute) — Waterfront

Mike Hall — Classic Clapton (rock/tribute) — Maddermarket

Aftershock (pop/rock) — Brickmakers

Electricity (blues/rock'n'roll) — Brewery Tap

Foundation Sound (reggae/dub) — Kartel

King Dinosaur (rockabilly) — Walnut Tree Shades

Punk Is Not A Crime: feat. The Devil Wrays + more (punk festival)— King Edward VII

The Planks (soul) — The Leopard

Wypeout (50s/60s) — Royal Oak

No Secrets (pop) — Silver Road Cottage

Music House: feat. Babelfish Quartet + more (acoustic) — Wensum Lodge

Norwich Folk Club — Christ Church Centre

Bluegrass Forum (roots) — Murderers

Doozoot (pop/rock) — Lakenham Cock

Mark Anthony — Perseverance

JUNE 9

Gilles Peterson + more (world/jazz/dance) — Open

Luis Lema Latinissimo! (Latin) — Arts Centre

Artificial 2: feat. Bispatial + more (electronic) — Epic

Total Stone Roses + Oaysis (tribute) — Waterfront

Punk Is Not A Crime: feat. Overload + many more (punk festival from 12pm) — King Edward VII

Worlds Apart (rock) — Brickmakers

Low Volume Eclectiff (1pm-4pm) — Arts Centre Caf�

Johnny Jump Band (blues/country) — Golden Star

Lee Vann — Old Catton Maids Head

Trex (rock 'n'roll) — Arkwrights

Wreck Age (rock) — Steam Packet

A13 All Stars (acoustic) — Micawbers Tavern

Vikki H — Angel Gardens

Alan Ley — Bread & Cheese

Tony Cann — Heath House

John Grahams — Keir Hardie Hall

Barrys White — Quebec Tavern

Tom Baxter — Sprowston Social Club

JUNE 10

Skinny Lister (folk/indie) — Waterfront Studio

Dumfoundus (acoustic/pop/2.30pm) — Brewery Tap

One Night of Queen (rock/tribute) — Theatre Royal

Egypt (blues/rock) — King Edward VII

Lee Vasey Big Band (12pm) — Brickmakers

Time Travellers: feat. Julie Dee (60s-80s) — Arkwrights

The AJ Experience — Lakenham Cock

JUNE 11

Brickie Session (open mic) — Brickmakers

Jazz Jam — B2

Jazz Jam: feat. Rich Buddie — Walnut Tree Shades

JUNE 12

Brickie Blues Club: feat. The Jimmy Roe Trio (blues) — Brickmakers

Gabrielle Ducombie + Simon Brown Trio (jazz) — Rackheath Green Man

Live & Direct (acoustic) — Rumsey Wells

Johnny Jump Band (blues/country) — Friends Meeting House

JUNE 13

The School (indie/pop) — Waterfront

Port Isla + Rory Hill & Graham Horne (acoustic) — Bicycle Shop

Little Red Kings + Dusty Soup (indie/rock) — B2

Lee Vasey & Friends — Trowel & Hammer

Pure Acoustic (open mic) — Brickmakers

JUNE 14

Razorlight (rock) — Thetford Forest

Mor Karbasi (world/pop) — Arts Centre

Bad Manners (ska) — Waterfront

James Toseland + more (acoustic/indie) — Epic

Dog Days of Summer (bluegrass/folk) — Rumsey Wells

Freeload (rock/pop) — Brickmakers

Blues Situation (blues) — Walnut Tree Shades

Soothsayer Promo (metal/rock) — B2

Johnny Jump Band (blues/country) — Micawbers Tavern

Midnight Blue — Rose Tavern