With his hefty dreadlocks he may look like he should be juggling crystals in the Healing Field at Glastonbury but ever so quietly, Newton Faulkner has become one of Britain's biggest new musicians.

The Reigate guitarist's debut album, Hand Built by Robots, has hovered in the top 40 for months, and the chance to see his dextrous fingerwork live has proved essential for thousands. After this UK tour, the 22-year-old has another lined up, visiting the Camden Roundhouse on 5 March.

Potentially in the same class of grey singer-songwriters as Jameses Blunt and Morrison, Faulkner is a sillier soul, offering nothing more profound as his save-the-world manifesto than his fluffy People Should Smile More. He was a comic between songs, encouraging singalongs and even actions on UFO, while his choice of covers kept the laughs coming - No Limit by 2 Unlimited, Bohemian Rhapsody and the theme from Spongebob Squarepants.

He didn't need his two-piece band, sounding most impressive solo, using his guitar as both string and rhythm instrument on a slowed-down Dream Catch Me and a more tender cover, of Massive Attack's Teardrop. Silencing a large crowd with songs such as these showed he's got more than good jokes.