Last updated 05:32, Friday, 29 August 2008

JACAJaca takes to the stage like a tiny blonde fairy, her frame dwarfed by a keyboard of epic proportions.

The softly-spoken Carlisle lass greets the crowd shyly and starts to sing – and suddenly the keyboard makes perfect sense. She needs it to rival the scale of her voice.

She sings with breathtaking clarity and power, moving effortlessly between husky lows and dizzying highs. Her heartfelt songs of love and loss recall Joan As Policewoman, or even a female Jeff Buckley.

Her atmospheric, complex piano betrays classical training, her flying fingers mesmerise the crowd.

At her best, her singing carries the performance against sparse, fractured piano. Songs like Goodbye My Friend are moving and atmospheric, her playing like sweeping, jazz-tinged Debussy.

The passion of her performance is a stark contrast to her quiet demeanour. And in spite of a thoughtful, downbeat set she easily gets the crowd on her side. Children gather by the stage, straining to get a better look.

As a songwriter, she uses a huge range of influences, from improvised jazz to blues to good old-fashioned pop. Released in 2006, her debut album Kalpa added ice-queen electronica to the mix. She has great things ahead.

MEG JORSH