Dilettante' is an art-rock collective led by multi-instrumentalist Francesca Pidgeon and is based in Northern England. The group was born out of Francesca's fear of committing to a single line up, and is her rebound project after a long-term relationship with indie-jazz four piece ‘Kumiko’.

I'm always amazed that Dilettante aren't recognised as one of the best unsigned bands in the UK right now and that Francesca isn't regarded as one of the UK's most talented musicians. As you can see, I'm a big fan but what this hinges on is the sheer quality of their output. From the songwriting, production and performance Dilettante always seem to get the very best out of their line-up to the point where I can see why they probably think 'Why the hell do we need a major label' and just look at the fantastic cover art they did! Sheesh they're a talented bunch! Impossibly catchy outsider indie that captures an array of musical influences yet somehow seems it's own thing. The songs tend towards jazzy, art-y, post-punkish, funky and playfully creative. Think Mega Bog, Animal Collective, Panda Bear, Laurie Anderson at their most catchy. Recommended

By Matt