First i knew of little miss Laura Marling was when i saw her supporting Devendra Banhart at the Forum last year. I didnt know who she was but it became apparent to me pretty quickly that she was bloody awful. Instrumentally, she's a weak guitarist, which is fine if you have a good enough voice to get away with it, but she doesnt, infact she has a rather poor one; airy, unoriginal, not a particular vast range and generally just a bit dull. Average at best, if that. On top of that; the songs are boring, the tunes peeter out into that same old catchy chorus with uninspiring lyrics and a performance that just leaves you thinking: hurry up and get off the stage, love! whilst all the while she stands, stock still behind a microphone as if glued to the spot. Due to the fact, i assume, that she cant play the few chords she has mastered with any flair whilst portraying any sort of performing ability at all.

Next thing i know, Marling is this seasons 'next big thing' adorning the cover of magazines everywhere, pouring onto radio stations, popping up on Jools Holland and being nominated for awards and for the life of me, i just cant fingure out why. She's a watered down Joanna Newsom, with the creative talent of Katie Melua...perhaps with an extra bicycle or two, who, apart from the fact that she's a young girl with an acoustic guitar, has nothing to offer music at all. Her hippy doodles and fresh faced smile might refresh for a little while, but eventually she'll release a highly anticipated second album that, by the time it hits the shelves, will be tired of listening to itself. Shes boring and, more importantly, shes just not that great.