No strangers to the city, Bombay Bicycle Club return to Norwich to having seemingly slowly kept towards the big time. Plus fretless guitar master Ed Evett, Sheffield indie stars The Crookes and the NME Radar Tour.

BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB

UEA, October 10

No strangers to the city — they headlined Norwich Puppet Theatre on one memorable occasion — Bombay Bicycle Club return to Norwich to having seemingly slowly kept towards the big time with release of their third album, A Different Kind Of Fix.

From the teenage indie kicks of their debut I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose, to the sparse, timeless folk of last summer's top 10 album acoustic Flaws, the quartet have made steady progress — it was notable they were topping festival stage bills this summer — and developed musically.

This return visit to the city is sold out so you'll have to wheel and deal or hope for an unlikely return ticket if you haven't got one already.

Ironically having taken a age to get it well known, lead guitarist Jamie MacColl admits the band don't actually like their name.

'We were only 14 when we got our first gig at school, and didn't even have a name,' he recalls. 'We used to walk past a Bombay Bicycle Club restaurant every day, so just went with that.

'When you're that age, you don't really think about it much, or that you're going to make it big and the name will be scrutinised. I'm sure we could have come up with something more exciting.'

t Further listening: www.bombaybicycleclubmusic.com

NED EVETT

Norwich Arts Centre, October 10

Ned Evett is one of the world's foremost fretless guitarists, creating music that both celebrates and transcends the novelty of his instrument. At age 11, Ned started playing ukelele, graduating to his first guitar at 15. At 16, he got his first classical guitar and gave his first professional performance as a guitarist. Around that time, Ned saw King Crimson Live in Japan, and was mesmerized by the fretless guitar wielded by Adrian Belew.

In 2003, he entered and won the North American Rock Guitar Competition, and a subsequent TV documentary, Driven To Play was shown in the US and Canada.

Following the film's premier, Ned began a series of tours with artists such as Jonny Lang, Eric Johnson, George Thorogood, and Robert Cray. In the past year he has been on a world tour with Grammy nominated guitar god Joe Satriani.

Ned's five solo releases run the gamut from instrumental beauties to hard-rocking blues, and everything in between. His upcoming sixth solo album, Treehouse, is a 14 song diary of love, loss, redemption, and the future told in his mesmerizing voice, accompanied by Ned's trademark fretless mirrored glass and steel resonator, the 'Globro' and his glass-necked electrics.

t Further listening: www.nedevett.com

NME RADAR TOUR

Waterfront, October 13

Having previously featured the likes of Max�mo Park, La Roux and Friendly Fires, the four-band-bill NME Radar Tour has a track record of serving up the best new and innovative talent.

Enigmatic artist Wolf Gang — aka 24-year-old Max McElligott — headlines this year, and though far from unknown he will produce plenty of effortless and indelible pop grandeur. Having already caused a storm with his debut album, Suego Faults, Wolf Gang is also on the receiving end of favourable attention after supporting the likes of The Killers, Florence and the Machine and The Editor.

South East London-based post-punk group S.C.U.M are second on the bill. The band's vast range of genre interest - from pyschedelia to ambient soundtracks collide - to form a pop trio that neatly balances the innovative with what is rapturously danceable. Hailing from Sweden, Niki & The Dove is a new project featuring lead vocalist and songwriter Malin. Boasting a background in live bands, writing music for theatre is what provided the inspiration to form this new band.

Openers are DZ Deathrays, a thrash pop duo from Brisbane, Australia. The crazy rockers said they: 'started playing house parties, they'll will most likely end at one and this is the middle part.'

t Further listening: www.wolf-gang.co.uk

THE CROOKES

Norwich Arts Centre, October 13

The Crookes are four young Sheffield hopefuls whose mutual love of D.H. Lawrence, Evelyn Waugh and Alan Sillitoe inform their kitchen-sink tales set against a backdrop of 50s rock'n' roll and 1980s indie.

Having formed at Sheffield's legendary Fuzz Club, they hoped their songs (not yet written) would one day inspire the giddy abandon they felt when listening to The Cure, Monochrome Set, The Shirelles, Elvis Presley and Aztec Camera.

Last year they recorded sessions for Huw Stephens and Steve Lamacq on Radio 1, and as well as performing live with Sheffield's musical Godfather Richard Hawley on 6 Music. They also became the first unsigned band to play a session on Radio 4's Loose Ends.

Having released two sold-out singles, A Collier's Wife and Bloodshot Days (Heist or Hit), their Dreams of Another Day EP was released on the legendary Fierce Panda label last October and was followed by their debut album Chasing After Ghosts, which saw their charming tales of snuffboxes, broken tea cups and lovers sharing a gasper under gas-lit lamp posts set to a soundtrack of 1950s rock'n'roll, 60s girl groups and The Smiths.

t Further listening: www.thecrookes.co.uk

SOUNDS IN THE CITY

October 7

Oxjam 2011: feat. Addison's Uncle + more (indie/rock/acoustic) — Karma Kafe

Wombatwombat's Peel Day: feat. Victorian English Gentleman's Club (indie) — Arts Centre

Michael Chapman (folk) — Olives

Money Shot (rock) — Blueberry

Emma Hall Band (soul/funk) — Brickmakers

Norwich Folk Club: feat. Akabella (folk) — Christ Church Centre

The Stylotones (ska) — The Leopard

A13 Allstars (Americana/blues) — Brewery Tap

Rockin Johnnies (rock'n'roll) — Gatehouse

Graham McGrotty — Lakenham Cock

Rock'N'Roll Night — Walnut Tree Shades

Ricci — Perseverance

Elvis — Trowel & Hammer

October 8

The Barlights + more (indie/rock) — Waterfront

Hollow Earth (prog-rock) — Brickmakers

One Trick Pony Presents: feat. Electric Youth Revolt (indie/grunge) — B2

Flying South (rock/blues) — The Stanley

Honeydripper (rock/blues) — Trowel & Hammer

World's Apart (rock) — Walnut Tree Shades

Shannan — Bread & Cheese

What's Up — Arkwrights

Mark Anthony — Angel Gardens

Pat James — Wensum Community Centre

Rob Charles — Heath House

Vic Salter — Gatehouse

Tony Cann — Quebec Tavern

Sue Brooks — Royal British Legion

PJ — The Windmill

October 9

The Planks (blues/3pm) — Brewery Tap

Lee Vasey Big Band (12pm) — Brickmakers

Gordon James — Freedman

Barry Lee — Royal British Legion

Ian Larkins — Lakenham Cock

October 10

Bombay Bicycle Club (indie) — UEA

Brickie Sessions (open mic) — Brickmakers

Jazz N Jam: feat. Lee Vasey + more — Blueberry

October 11

The Horrors (indie) — Waterfront

Brickie Blues Club: feat. Electricity (blues) — Brickmakers

Planet Beet Presents (indie) — B2

October 12

Wishbone Ash (rock) — Waterfront

Sloan Wainwright (folk/pop) — Olives

Hessian Rose (metal/rock) — B2

Pure Acoustic (open mic) — Brickmakers

Rock 'N' Roll Jam — The Windmill

October 13

NME Radar Tour: feat Wolf Gang + more (indie/electronic) — Waterfront

Black Veil Brides (rock/metal) — UEA

The Crookes (indie) — Arts Centre

Quiet Stars Quartet (jazz) — Brewery Tap

Hearts & Souls (pop-punk) — B2

Ghostriders Western Club: feat. Stubby (country) — Royal British Legion

Pop Punk Showdown — Brickmakers

The Planks (blues) — Walnut Tree Shades

Johnny Jump Band (blues) — Micawbers