One of the more slightly awkward questions asked in the course of small talk is often, "Who's your favourite band" -You're supposed to answer, "I don't have one favourite, but I like" which will lead to a discussion of genres and tastes. I am one of the few with a definitive answer: Constantines. I can't recall the first time I heard them, but it would have been on CD, their first, self-titled 2000 release. It came in a beautiful hand-made package that contained a wooden match, an appropriate way to light a long creative fuse that led to 2002's brilliant Shine a Light, through to the even stronger Tournament of Hearts in 2005, and culminating now in the explosive Kensington Heights.