Ben Folds Five: Splash Club, London

IF IT makes you feel better, think of Ben Folds as a visiting alien. He's travelled to our planet in peace, hoping to exchange ideas and perspectives, but has come up against a communication problem. Instead of making himself understood via language, he "speaks" with music, letting notes flow through his fingers. Thus, when he feels happy, we hear honky-tonk piano, when he feels playful, we hear jazz, and, when he feels adventurous, we hear whole musical dramas.