POP&JAZZ

Chris Holmes and Yum Yum play the Hope & Anchor, Islington, London N1, on 10 Mar, and the Camden Falcon, London NW1, on 11 Mar

Chris Holmes is feeling fatigued but triumphant today. Last night the 23-year-old's Chicago home played host to a nerve-wracking experiment, when his pals, the artful rockists Seam, played live from his basement to the whole world, via the Internet. That Chris is now buzzing with plans to turn the Internet jamboree into a regular Monday event will probably come as no surprise to his friends. Chris is endowed with enough freaky idealism to pull it off. Since graduating from the University of Chicago last year, he's devoted himself totally to his two bands, the ambient house Ashtar Command and the light guitar riff 'n' strings ensemble, Yum Yum. The styles of music bear no relation to each other, but to Chris they are natural partners. "Yum Yum pop songs reflect my ego, they are about how I relate to the outside world," he begins. "Ashtar Command is completely internal, wordless stuff going on in my head. Having the two helps me know boundaries, and playing one helps me understand what I like about the other."

The man's expansive attitude doesn't stop there. He is a rabid instrument collector. While laying claim to mastery of 40 instruments initially makes him appear obsessive, his explanation is convincing. "If you play a guitar all the time, you think only in terms of a guitar, and that's limiting. With a new instrument, you don't know what you're doing, you can't do the same thing so maybe you don't become complacent about the creative process."

Sadly, only guitars, bass, drums and violin will make it here for Chris Holmes's shows with Yum Yum, plugging the rock lullaby beauties on his/their new album, Dan Loves Patti. This is a band who dressed as pink bunny rabbits to get bar-propping punters' attention while on tour in 1996. "In the course of a year we had some really great times onstage, we put on a good show. I don't know what Britain will be like. Hopefully it'll be brilliant."

EYE ON THE NEW

Eerie, sample-fuelled tunes from a band with a striking pop sensibility, Sneaker Pimps are a little too sweet for those with a taste more for Bristol's trancey output, but they look set to score a second top 20 hit with new single "Spin Spin Sugar".

London Garage, 8 Mar; Hull, The Room, 10 Mar; Derby, The Union One, 11 Mar; Newcastle Riverside, 13 Mar; Glasgow Cathouse, 14 Mar