Friends like these

An announcement about a feature we're running throughout November tomorrow, so big and powered by your input we'll even be sending out emails and a Myspace bulletin. Yeah, fear us.

In the meantime, there's a thought that's been stirring at the back of our pop minds for a while about Myspace. Yes, of course the bits that aren't promoting bands or for entertaining blogs are essentially processions of the beleagured and damned towards some sort of personal crisis valhalla. And nobody who has a non-standard background can be trusted, obviously. But...what does a musician's selection of top eight friends, as screenshot today, say about their place in the scheme of things? What can we learn about themselves, their priorities and their idea of a public face? Occasional new feature time, then, as we have a brief look-see at who the acts the kids of today just can't get enough of would rather big up. We must stress, by the way, that this is not an attempt to get onto more people's own top eights just in case, nice as that thought might be.

Where shall we start? Who has the sufficient Myspace promotional gravitas? Ah...



We particularly enjoy her extended list of influences, including "T REX (possibly the best band ever , ever ! )", Wreckless Eric, Bananarama, Sultans Of Ping FC (who knew?), Rip Rig & Panic, The Slits, Arcade Fire, Mike And The Mechanics and Rolf Harris. As for this most media-coveted of friendships:



It's actually a top 12, but let's be fair here. She's on Jamie T's album, apparently. The Bird And The Bee are new on us, describing themselves as "a futuristic 1960's American film set in Brazil", half of whom co-produced Alright, Still, the other half being cult singer Inara George. Really rather good, this. Kate Nash is building her own singer-songwriterly reputation around London, Aaron LaCrate remixed Smile, and the other two just seem to be her mates. She leaves comments for the one on the right.

And Klaxons, you say?



Who takes that much pride here in 2006 in being on the cover of the NME?



So not Klaxons Women Survivor Group ("PLEASE NOTE: This is nothing more than a bit of a joke! Any genuine bitterness/hating/stalking or otherwise weird behaviour is not encouraged by KWSG or its affiliates"), then. Feardo is theirs and Shitdisco's manager, Merok put out Atlantis To Interzone, SMD are Simian Mobile Disco, Metronomy make a very agreeable jagged electro-punk-house noise, Crystal Castles are a Canadian duo who sound like Atari STs at war, Erol Alkan does all those remixes and Ryan S is from Stoke Newington so must be someone's mate.

Anyway. Who else is sociable and fairly popular these days? This bloke'll do:



Not entirely sure what's happening in that picture. Maybe it was taken in Japan.



Cutting out the hard work comfortably, the first four are his live band. Paul is something to do with Truck, both label and festival, and is also some sort of management. Then it's another mate - do these people mind being clicked through as a result of being proper friends with fast-rising laptop singer-songwriters, do you think? - something to do with Puregroove record store and... someone. This isn't going as comfortably as we'd envisaged. Never mind, one more to do for now:



On their tour itinerary, "Playing records at Topshop" in York. Sellouts!



Clearly despite being a tiny spark on the outside rail of Sanctuary the band still have plenty of time for Sheffield Phonographic and Angular, who put their singles out in the three years it took for labels to notice. Anna seems to be downplaying her role, "supply Touring and Band Transportation Services to the music industry", but it sounds fantastic to us. We need a quick call to our careers advisor. Also, three supports on their forthcoming UK tour, their cult US label and Erol bloody Alkan again! All he does is electro bootlegs and sticking glam disco beats behind whatever this week's indie club floorfiller is!