Who: U.K. ska-pop troubadour Jack Peñate, who, after conquering the harsh British club scene and the harsher British charts, is setting his sights on North America.

Sounds Like: Jeff Buckley with a pompadour and checkered Vans for dancing. Piñate's debut album Matinee finds the twenty-two-year-old Londonite singing songs of missing home and unrequited love while showcasing his mastery of both the neo-ska and pop genres.

Three Things You Should Know:

1. How harsh is the British club scene? The performers are often robbed — while onstage. "I took my guitar off, and a kid came up and stole it," Peñate reminisces about a recent show. "He knicked the guitar, put it under his arm and almost left before the bouncers stopped him." Instruments aren't the only things in danger of thievery. "I got this hat in Japan, and some kid I invited onto the stage to sing a song knicked it and got away." Thankfully, a desperate plea on Peñate's MySpace page helped usher the safe return of his favorite hat.

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Who: U.K. punks Gallows, a five piece from London led by frontman Frank Carter who rocked the stage raw at this year's Reading Festival and Warped Tour.

Sounds Like: Pure punk in the tradition of the Clash and Black Flag, but with subtle ska and pop influences. Their debut album, Orchestra of Wolves, blends brutal riffs with pop hooks and thoughtful lyrics.

Three Things You Should Know:

1. If you stand with your hands in your pockets when you go to a Gallows' show, Carter will yell at you. Gallows are infamous for verbally assaulting non-responsive crowds, and sometimes even dive into the crowd to physically assault audience members. It should come as no surprise that most Gallows shows end with Carter bloodied. "My favorite memories are of turning punk all-dayers into fucking riots — ruining these people's days," he says.

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Who: Dirty South rapper Radric "Gucci Mane" Davis, who after spending some time behind bars, has learned to translate a life of crime into lyrical street anthems.

Sounds Like: Gucci's new album Back to the Traphouse finds the Bessemer, Alabama native unleashing crime-thick lyrics with his patented Southern drawl over explosive synth beats and sing-song hooks. The album, a sequel of sorts to his debut Traphouse, features guest spots from Ludacris, Lil' Kim, Rich Boy, the Game and late UGK rapper Pimp C.

Three Things You Should Know:

1. Gucci killed a man — in self-defense. While visiting the home of a female friend in 2005, Gucci was forced to shooter down an intruder after the man (an associate of Young Jeezy, with whom Gucci has an ongoing beef) stormed into the room, guns blazing. While Gucci didn't serve time for that incident (again, self-defense), he did serve six months in the slammer for beating another man with a pool stick.

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Who: Soulful Brit-pop quintet (with a horn section) who originally bonded over Captain Beefheart and Tom Waits while growing up in a tiny English town, but soon developed a taste for reggae, ska, rockabilly and harmonies.

Sounds Like: The group's debut EP Alarm Clock is stocked with tightly wound tunes featuring horn rave-ups and ska rhythms that take cues from British 2-Tone groups such as Madness and the Specials, as well as Dexys Midnight Runners.

Three Things You Should Know:

1. Frontman Charlie Waller often writes about his small-town British upbringing, from the dead-end day jobs to simply walking around the neighborhood. "I'm just singing about everyday things," he says. "I try to think like Jonathan Richman and write songs that you can't tell if they're clever or quite stupid and childlike."

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Rolling Stone Artist to Watch Kate Nash — who we memorably described as Lily Allen mixed with Regina Spektor and a granny dress — is hitting the road for a short trek in the new year (tickets go on sale December 7th). If you live in Toronto, New York, San Francisco or Los Angeles you can experience Nash's boyfriend-bashing tunes set to piano and acoustic guitar in person on these dates:

1/7 - Toronto @ Mod Club
1/9 - New York City @ Bowery Ballroom
1/12 - San Francisco @ 330 Ritch
1/14 - Los Angeles @ Troubadour