Josh Rouse might not be a well-known name, but he fills the Shepherd’s Bush Empire with ease tonight. In fact everything seems to come naturally to him, from the relaxed shuffle onstage to his casually turned-out country-pop gems. Opening the bill is Sweden’s Jens Lekman, playing a solo set except for a girl who joins to play bongos and occasional piano. Lekman’s bittersweet tales of small-town romance sparkle with lo-fi pop hooks mixed with......

To be honest the rain and coldness is kind of making us not want to go to gigs at the moment, preferring instead to wrap ourselves up warmly at home. But if we did, this is what we'd be bouncing at. Monday: The biggie tomorrow is of course Led Zep at the O2, but you've more chance of meeting Santa than getting tickets for that. So instead, forget the dinosaurs and try something new......

Josh Rouse has gathered a small but devoted following over the course of six albums (plus an EP with kindred spirit Kurt Wagner of Lambchop), and the cabaret tables that surround the small stage at Madame Jo Jo’s are packed. He’s in town tonight for a low-key acoustic set to launch new album ‘Country Mouse, City House’. The attentive crowd quietens reverentially as Rouse opens with a handful of songs from the new album.......