this is brighton offers a critical view of what's hot for the coming week: Caravan, on Friday, June 10 at The Old Market, plus David Grubbs, Misty's Big Adventure, Buck 65, King Creosote and Saint Etienne.

Caravan
The Old Market, Brighton, Friday, June 10 Prog-rock band Caravan have survived where contemporaries like Soft Machine have fallen by the wayside. Formed in 1968, band members have departed and returned so many times that founders Richard Coughlan and Pye Hastings must be quite dizzy. Warming up for the Isle of Wight festival, Caravan play their distinctive combination of psychedelic rock and jazz from their 28-album career.

Starts 8pm, tickets cost £16. Call 01273 736222.

David Grubbs
Hanbury Ballroom, Brighton, Saturday, June 11 As part of the Chicago post-rock scene, David Grubbs is no stranger to musical experimentation. Previous sonic departures include Bana Cabbage, Potato Lettuce and Onion Orange (Table of the Elements), on which he performs three versions of the same instrumental piece on piano, electric and acoustic guitar. Influenced by the music of John Cage and the words of Samuel Beckett, Grubbs is sure to surprise and intrigue.

Starts 7pm, tickets cost £6. Call 01273 605789.

Misty's Big Adventure
The Freebutt, Brighton, Sunday, June 12 Headlining is Up All Night all-dayer, Misty's Big Adventure produce danceable guitar-pop with four-part harmonies, keyboards, sax and trumpet.

Misty's are a strange blend of satire and pop.The band are accompanied by a man known as Erotic Volvo, a sixfoot lunatic dressed in a red sack with inflated blue rubber gloves protruding from him, who spins around like a whirling dervish, beatboxes and pops balloons to the beat.

Starts 6.30pm, tickets cost £5. Call 01273 603974.

King Creosote
Hanbury Ballroom, Paston Place, Brighton, Monday, June 13 Weirdy beardy King Creosote, real name Kenny Anderson, hails from Scotland and was formerly singersongwriter for the Skuobhie Dubh Orchestra and The Khartoum Heroes. In spite of - rather than due to - these dreadful cartoon puns, Kenny has recently signed to Domino records and has brought with him his nu-folk Fence Collective to blend guitar, banjos piano and electronic bleeps with Kenny's storytelling skills.

Starts 7pm, tickets cost £6. Call 01273 605789.

Buck 65
Concorde 2, Brighton, Tuesday, June 14 Mixing hip-hop, folk and lo-fi blues, Buck 65 - aka Richard Terfrey - has a diverse list of influences ranging from Tom Waits and King Tubby to beat writer Charles Bukowski. His new album, Talkin' Honky Blues, was produced by himself and two other fellows with weird names. It sounds like a guitar, pedal steel and turntable swallowed by a computer and thrown back up. Buck will be playing new album Secret House Against The World. Support comes from Brighton supergroup Brakes.

Starts 8pm, tickets cost £7.50. Call 01273 673311.

Saint Etienne
Concorde 2, Madeira Drive, Brighton, Wednesday, June 15 Formed in the shadow of acid house, Saint Etienne were a successful indie dance act that courted the pop market. While their euphoric clubland influences are now muted, 14 years on the band continue to craft simple pop music with a wistful, retro feel. Songwriters Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs lurk behind their synthesizers while Sarah Cracknell supplies glasssmooth vocals to back catalogue gems such as Neil Young cover Only Love Can Break Your Heart.

Starts 8pm, tickets cost £12, call 01273 673311.