Album: The Irrepressibles, Mirror Mirror (V2)

Fans of the Dresden Dolls and Antony and the Johnsons, pay attention: if you haven't investigated this London 10-piece already, your new favourite band is right here.

On their debut proper, Jamie McDermott's soaring croon recalls Ferry, Bowie and Mael while his band's haunting harpsichords, turbulent cellos, sonorous pianos and sweeping violins conjure a dramatic soundscape dripping with echoes of the Weimar Republic and la belle époque.

This is the sucker punch the Irrepressibles have been keeping up their ruched sleeves.