Plan B is, as they say, no ordinary MC. He's as likely to be playing indie venues or folk clubs as he is hip hop jams or raves or R&B gigs. He can spit rhymes and hold his own against any MC or rapper, but can then suddenly switch into a delicate, sweet white soul croon that would shame any boyband member. He accompanies himself on an acoustic guitar, playing in a curiously folksy, fingerpicking style. But the killer punch is the lyrics - bleak, cinematic, X-rated urban poetry laced with a mordant wit and a strong dose of pathos.

Plan B released his critically acclaimed debut album Who Needs Action When You Got Words in 2006. The album featured the hit singles Sick 2 Def, No Good and Mama (Loves a Crackhead).

His second album, titled The Defamation of Strickland Banks, saw its release on 5th April 2010. The first single from the album Stay Too Long, was released in January this year, peaking at number nine in the UK singles chart, making it Plan B’s most successful single to date.

The album sees Plan B depart from the sound heard on his debut, this time showcasing more of his vocal ability. Lyrically the album’s songs tell the fictitious tale of one Strickland Banks – a sharp-suited British soul singer who finds fame and then loses everything when he ends up in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. The album debuted on the UK Album Charts at number one.

Plan B will be returning to Manchester to play live at Academy 1 on Friday 15th October.