You know when a movement is taking off in the UK music scene when the NME takes notice of it.

This week saw the esteemed music weekly release a free CD encompassing the New Canadian Scene, which has exploded since the success of bands such as Arcade Fire and Dears.

A pair of the leading lights of the Montrealbased scene are heading for The Great Escape festival, fresh from wowing the music industry at South By South West in Texas.

The Besnard Lakes have just released their second album, Are The Dark Horse, which is the follow-up to 2004's critically-acclaimed Volume I.

Playing just before them are Patrick Watson, a four-piece band led by the eponymous Patrick, who released the album, Close to Paradise, last year.

The Besnard Lakes are based around husband and wife team of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas.

The six-piece mix strange and experimental Lynchian sounds with a pop aesthetic which Anglo-American supergroup Fleetwood Mac would be proud of.

Among the musicians who contributed to their new record are guitarist George Donoso III from Dears, and Sophie Trudea of Godspeed!

You Black Emperor and The Silver Mt Zion Band fame.

Patrick Watson himself has been playing music since the age of seven, when he sang in local churches on the West Island of Montreal.

The seeds for the band began when Patrick met guitarist Simon Angell in their hometown of Hudson in Quebec, with the pair later going to high school together in Montreal, and playing in ska band Gangster Politics.

From ska, Patrick moved on to experimental electronic music, including a suite entitled Waterproof 9, which accompanied the underwater photography of artist Brigitte Henry, before the duo met Mishka Stein and Robbie Kuster.

The album, Just Another Ordinary Day, followed, mixing the sounds of Bjork and Radiohead with Beatles-pop, and Watson's classical influences.

"There's lots of music out there," says Watson.

"Classical music is a wealth of chord changes and amazing ideas.

"If you're not going back to that, you're missing out. Bands like Radiohead are aware of that."

  • Starts 9pm, tickets from £19.50.

Call 08700 400076 or visit Rounder Records (01273 325440) or Resident (01273 606312).