* The O2 Academy pulls off a bit of a coup next week, in the rather groovy shape of one of the biggest names in funk. Dubbed the Godfather of Funk, George Clinton, 73, is an artist of rare invention and imagination.

While he is perhaps best known for his One Nation Under a Groove and Atomic Dog, what is less well known is the depth of his own inspiration on a host of other acts as diverse as Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Prince, Afrika Bambaataa, Public Enemy, Eric B & Rakim, De La Soul and Snoop Dogg. Even Rudimental owe the great man a debt, recording with George for their second album. If his work seems familiar, it’s because he is the most sampled artist in music history.

His appearance at the O2 Academy next Thursday follows the release of new material by his band, Parliament Funkadelic. Last year’s rap, rock, soul and jazz-flavoured First Ya Gotta Shake The Gate comes a full 33 years since their debut. And they have lost none of their taste for innovation over the years; still twisting boundaries and inventing new sounds. Previous shows have been enlivened by singers, dancers, circus clowns, roller girls and virtuoso musicians. Heaven knows what we can expect.

Tickets are £25 from ticketweb.co.uk

* Tom Brosseau is one of those artists that deserve to be better known, but remain the treasured property of a close cabal of fans.

Performing with a drummer and double bass player, the North Dakota-born songwriter sings of such themes as man’s struggles to understand divinity, the betrayal of a kinsman, discovery, individualism and love. On Saturday he comes to Oxford for an intimate show at Art Jericho to showcase new album Perfect Abandon – recorded and produced by John Parish (PJ Harvey, Sparklehorse) in Bristol with a three-piece band.

Tom said: “We used just a single microphone. The challenge was to figure out how close each man needed to be for a suitable sound. There'd be no overdubbing, no raising or lowering the levels of any one instrument. The album you hear is simply the choosing of which take of which songs.”

Expect more of the same live.

Tickets available from tigmus.com