A cello swoons, a violin weeps and a voice like Jeff Buckley minus the testicles swoops disconcertingly in and out of earshot.

Welcome to the world of The Irrepressibles, one dominated by James McDermott's lacerating vibrato, dressed in the neo-orchestrals of his four apostles and dedicated to theatrics of the highest order.

The perfect fix for fans of Anthony And The Johnsons' otherworldy melodies, The Tiger Lillies' decadent posturing and Scissor Sisters' sense of play, The Irrepressibles have been poncing professionally since early 2004.

McDermott has been exploring his soul in song for rather longer, having self-financed two albums of stark acoustica. But when his musical vision grew too big for the singer-songwriter format he recruited some artist friends from Westminster University to create what they prefer to call a "collective".

"The Irrepressibles is very much about collaboration," says Anja McCloskey, a German woman who contributes accordion and piano.

"So far we've worked very closely with two artists. Daniel Strange has done a video for our song Boy In The Lake, where our faces are screened onto crash test dummies. And J J Stevens who took this picture has made a very sparkly video for I'd Maybe Let You.

"I wear a Bavarian beer-serving dress, red with a white apron, and a white and pink checked corset with a fake pink fur stole," she continues. "We really do like to dress up."

Too arty for the toilet circuit and too obscure for the concert halls, The Irrepressibles have stuck largely to arts venues, selling out performances everywhere from the Serpentine Gallery to RADA. They did, however, make their Joogleberry debut as part of the Brighton Fringe Festival and recently supported Helen And Horns at Komedia.

Now their audience is set to soar following the release of second EP Knife Song, which ranges from the accordion driven, symphonic wallow of Love Laced Your Heart With Diamonds to the delicate flamboyance of Lullaby On The Lid Of My Eye, a grandiose show tune which they dedicate to "the love that dare not speak its name".

"Our influences are everything from South American tango music to West Side Story," Anja explains. "We wanted Jamie's voice to grow out of an orchestral landscape, so we make the most out of the instruments we have. Mostly, when you say you play the accordion people think of cheesy sea shanties but I know how to use my instrument quite unpredictably."

The results, on record, are surprisingly accessible. But it sounds like you'll have to wait a while for an album.

"We have a number of mini-projects we want to do first," says Anja. "We're going to put in a performance on a bandstand and then we're hoping to go to Germany to work with a 35-piece accordion orchestra. I guess our main goal is not succumb to any one style."