Hip-hop is not without its unique ironies: Who could have guessed that one of today's most self-consciously futuristic artists would hail from the storied borough of the Bronx, where the music was born, way back in our 1970s Kodachrome past? The coincidence is not lost on Mickey Factz.

After half of Tokyo Police Club politely apologize for running late ("Someone left their clothes in the dryer," says keyboardist Graham Wright, 21; "I had to get ready for dinner with my parents," offers singer/bassist Dave Monks, also 21), it's no surprise to hear that the boys took a wholesome approach while slogging it out on the suburban Toronto battle-of-the-bands circuit.

Something strange is going on in Hartlepool tonight. Through the freezing salty mist of this sedate British seaside town, a crowd of impeccably turned-out kids are fighting for space in the queue outside a run-down venue. They're here to see the curiously named Dead Eyed Bitches, a band that appeared, pictureless, on MySpace four months ago.

Unlike many celebrity spawn, 24-year-old Liam Finn is actually quite comfortable discussing his famous father, former Split Enz and current Crowded House tunesmith Neil Finn. "I'm proud of him," says the scraggly-bearded New Zealander, relaxing after a packed show at the Los Angeles club Spaceland.

"I used to get night terrors," says These New Puritans' singer/guitarist Jack Barnett, backstage before a show in South London. "I once saw a ghost -- a glowing blue cat in my room -- and these purple and yellow orb things. It was really scary."

Estelle Swaray just can't understand the pickup techniques of American men. But the recently transplanted Londoner is learning fast. "They talk so much. By the time they get your number, you forgot what their name was," groans the chic 28-year-old, complaining about the "negging" tricks picked up in Neil Strauss' seduction primer, The Game.