The geeky-girl solo artists descending on the music scene

They were disappearing into the walls while their run-of-the-mill classmates were striding forwards. But now the geeks have begun a non-conformist uprising.

They've picked up microphones, laptops and instruments - all at the same time - and the quirky-girl solo artists are descending on the music scene in their masses.

At one end of the spectrum are the mildly kooky - Marina and the Diamonds (Marina Diamandes) and Ellie Goulding. Both are Welsh-born, London-based girls who don't shy away from a bit of glitter or leotards and aren't short of an opinion.

In the middle are the likes of Jesca Hoop, a Californian folk singer with crazy outfits to match her wacky background (Mormon upbringing and an accidental occupation as a nanny to Tom Waits's children), and Gabby Young with her pink hair and burlesque-style performances.

Then there is Lulu, of Lulu and the Lampshades, who plays the ukulele while two girls in catsuits stand either side of the stage with - yes - lampshades on their heads. They lead us right up to the undeniably odd and compellingly ghoulish Fever Ray.

She paints her face like a skeleton, distorts her speaking voice and fills her music with eerie electronics.

But these girls don't mind being a bit quirky - in fact they are trading on it and every one has an album, single or gig hitting London right about now.

"Kookiness is a fantastic selling point at the moment. The weirder you are, the better in popular culture," says George Pringle, who has just released her first album Salon des Refusés and whose own brand of "odd" (she doesn't sing but speaks impassive monologues) has split her critics and listeners. "I think that the 'offbeat' thing is something that record companies are cashing in on."

Clearly Hafdis Huld's management likes to promote it. Huld, a blonde Icelandic pop-folk singer, dresses like a four-year-old and babbles on stage about Icelandic fishermen.

Alongside reviews on her website that compare her to Björk and declare her "utterly addictive", the quote "weird" sticks out proudly.

"Björk is the mother of this trend and Kate Bush is the grandmother," says Paul Rees, editor of Q magazine.

"The huge success of the second Lily [Allen] album suggested to record labels that a solo female has legs Pop stars who have a really strong image - quirky, interesting or controversial - are exactly what you want."

These girls are the antithesis of the bland pop acts churned out by The X Factor and the tired formula of all-male guitar bands that dominated the early Noughties.

"We have had a few years of landfill indie and very dull people who have nothing to say and nothing to believe in," says Rees. "The best pop stars are the ones who their audience either want to be or want to sleep with."

For Rees, it is these new girls, led by the likes of Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine and Lily Allen, who fit that bill.

These girls have grown organically through hard work and the internet.

Each one has a MySpace page with matching Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, blog and Last.fm profile accessories - all of which they have used to promote their music and reach out to fans.

For Derek Davies, owner of Neon Gold Records which released the first two singles for Marina and the Diamonds, it's those internet profiles that are vital.

"[Marina] is a very interactive artist," he says. "Fans really value accessibility and if they feel like they are playing a part in the process it pays dividends in the long run. The more people who feel like they can get to know you, the better."

When you do get to know them, of course, you're bound to find them just a little bit odd.