Review | Funke and The Two Tone Baby at The Edge of The Wedge, Southsea: 'Get this guy to Victorious'

Technology, and particularly the loop pedal, has freed performers to create a bewildering collage of sound by themselves. Both acts tonight are in that mould.

James Tattington, aka Fugitive Orchestra is first on. This Southsea denizen is always a joy to catch live. He quickly builds an almost panto-esque rapport with the audience and wins them over with his robo-funk featuring sometimes twitchy, sometimes liquid, always catchy guitar lines.

Headliner Funke and The Two Tone Baby has been at this for a decade now, but this is only his second visit to Portsmouth.

Watching him build his songs around an acoustic guitar, an array of synths, drum machines, harmonica and goodness knows what else is an art form in itself.

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The energy level is never less than frantic, songs run through from one to another without pause, while Funke literally dances around behind his kit, jabbing at buttons, adding some chords on the keys, or looping a vocal line.

While the acoustic guitar and harmonica – and indeed Funke's voice – may lend a bluesy tone to proceedings, don't be deceived. At times there is an almost techno element to the songs – the bass noticeably rattling the fixtures more than once.

He can do endearing without being twee (If You're Nice to Me) but also does effective righteous anger, like on new song Take, Take, Take, or the Nigel Farage milkshake incident-inspired, Shake It Up.

For his final number, Too Much Bonobo, there’s surreal call-and-response: ‘Not enough chimpanzee!’ and he is joined on stage by a chap from the crowd who has donned a monkey mask for some appropriately Bez-like frugging.

Apparently quite a few ticket-holders failed to show on this soggy Sunday night – their loss because this is hugely entertaining.

But although the crowd may have been smaller than hoped for, it feels like Funke's on the cusp of something bigger. He's already built a solid following at festivals – check out his record crowd-pulling set at last year's Beautiful Days on YouTube.

If your only experience of a loop pedal-based artist is Ed Sheeran, do yourself a favour and get acquainted with both of these artists.

Oh, and someone, please get Funke to Victorious.