This Life is Mine

Quietly chuffed with this shot I managed to capture from my front row seat 

Overall, 2022 has been a pretty quiet year for me on the live music front, though it's finishing with a flurry of folk gigs, the penultimate of which was last weekend when folk royalty visited the area in the shape of Peter Knight and John Spiers. 

At 47, John Spiers is generally acknowledged to be the foremost melodeon player of his generation, performing over the years with Bellowhead, Gigspanner, Eliza Carthy and Jackie Oates. On Saturday evening he bought five different melodeons and a concertina to the stage - not for nothing is he known affectionately as Squeezy. Outside of music he's a fervent allotmanteer, with much of his social media presence being given over to plants, crops and recipes.

Peter Knight is a classically trained violinist who was an integral member of Steeleye Span for the best part of 40 years. These days, in addition to the duo work, he leads the various iterations of Gigspanner. The dexterity and creativity in his playing belie his 75 years and it was a mesmerising privilege to witness this music at such close quarters.  

Knight and Spiers have been playing as a duo since 2016 and in performance communicate on an almost telepathic level, via a series of barely perceptible raised eyebrows, nods and smiles. It really is a joyous traditional music masterclass. As always, bottom lips wobbled and eyes moistened when Peter stepped forward to sing his wonderful 2014 composition 'From a Lullaby Kiss'.

Peter Knight - From a Lullaby Kiss

There Is Only This One Moment & You've Got To Make It Last

Kimberley and Robyn on stage in Cambridge last week

I've just finished a lengthy uninterrupted run of holiday cover shifts. There have been a few long stretches of late, thanks largely to Covid sweeping through the store, though it's usually a mixture of earlies and lates. This time it was all earlies, meaning 5am alarm calls every day. It's not too much of a chore getting out of bed at this time of year though to be honest, the sun is already up and the loud birdsong eases me into my first coffee of the morning. My problems start at the other end of the day. I get home by 5.30pm and after a shower and a meal am struggling to keep my eyes open by 7.30. I'm usually in the land of nod by 8. What a lightweight I've become!

You can count the number of gigs I've been to since lockdown on the fingers of one hand, but, much like buses, two rolled up together right in the middle of this intense period of work - neither of them local. First I undertook an 80 mile round trip to catch Modern Nature in Ipswich. 'Island of Noise' was one of my favourite albums of 2021 and I was thrilled to learn that the band would be venturing out East during their tour. The Smokehouse is a standing venue and Modern Nature's music can be quite subtle, not an ideal combination when it's way past your bedtime! It was a terrifically engaging performance though, the sort of show one felt privileged to be in the audience for. Highlights included the epic, Spiritulized-esque 'Build', which concluded the set in magnificent fashion and the Sea and Cake meets Neu! bliss of 'Performance'.

Modern Nature - Performance

A couple of evenings later I took my weary bones over to Cambridge for the final date of Robyn Hitchcock's UK tour. As I've mentioned many times recently, Robyn has been elevated from mere musical hero to a somewhat mythical status in my affections, thanks to the ongoing series of streamed gigs he's performed with his wife Emma since the very start of the pandemic in March 2020 - now in excess of 200 shows! Emma has often spoken about how much these weekly shows have helped them cope over the past couple of years, but I only wish I could adequately express to her just how much they've helped me (and no doubt many others) cope too. In Cambridge Robyn played solo at first, then with assorted guests, including Emma and fellow former Soft Boy legend Kimberley Rew. For the 'Brenda's Iron Sledge' / 'Queen of Eyes' finale he fronted a unique three electric guitar/two basses line-up - and what a glorious racket they made! I drove the 70 miles home still buzzing and caught just four hours sleep before my alarm roused me for another early start, but I would've quite happily done it all over again the following day given the chance.

Robyn Hitchcock - Glass Hotel

After Years of Wait and Worry

Sid Griffin onstage in Cambridge, as seen through the lens of yours truly. Quite proud of this one.

Between 1985 and 1987 me and my regular gig-going buddy would make it our business to be at every Long Ryders concert that took place anywhere near our part of the world. We travelled many miles, caught many shows and then, after three albums, they were gone. The band reconvened briefly for the State of Our Reunion tour in 2004, before melting away for a further five years. Then, in 2014 Sid, Tom, Greg and Stephen came together once again for a more intensive period of touring, which eventually led to the recording of a fine new LP, 'Psychedelic Country Soul', their first in over 30 years.

I caught a Long Ryders gig in Cambridge a couple of weeks ago, my first since 1987. A little greyer of hair and wider of girth........but enough about the audience! The band played out of their skins, mixing a healthy dose of new material with a clutch of long time fan favourites, before coming out to press the flesh with us after the show. The years fell away.

This gentle Tom Stevens tune is Sid's favourite from the new LP.

The Long Ryders - Bells of August

And I Remember More Than I Can Tell

Kimberly, Robyn, Ruby and Morris onstage at the Union Chapel (Photo by yours truly)

Sometimes, we can take our favourite artists for granted and almost overlook what made us fall in love with them in the first place. Last week I was reminded in no uncertain terms why Robyn Hitchcock holds such a special place in my heart, when I caught two successive shows on his current UK tour. The first, in a modern, rather atmosphereless space in his old home town of Cambridge, a totally solo affair, kicked off with 'Tonight' and 'Queen of Eyes', Soft Boys classics written within a short distance of where we were sitting. The set then took a stroll through Robyn's vast back catalogue from the very old (and extremely obscure) 'Stranded in the Future' up to his current 7" single ('...not available in any record shop...') 'Sunday Never Comes', a song I'll admit took me a little while to get to grips with on initial release, but which I now recognise to be a thing of exquisite beauty. His interstitial meanderings were as entertaining as always. '...sorry about the slight roughness of my voice, I ate rather a lot of cheese before I came on stage which has left me with a dry throat...' I'm particularly indebted to the punter towards the front of the audience who shouted a request for 'The Speed of Things' during the encore. It's a personal favourite and one I'd not seen Robyn perform previously.

In contrast to the soulless Cambridge room, the Union Chapel in London is a beautiful 19th century building which hosted a truly memorable show on Tuesday evening, where Robyn was joined by fellow former fellow Soft Boys Kimberly Rew and Morris Windsor, along with Robyn's niece Ruby Wright on musical saw and backing vocals. The setlist, long and eclectic, featured a clutch of Soft Boys nuggets as you might imagine, though not necessarily the anticipated heavy hitters. '(I Want to be an) Anglepoise Lamp', 'The Face of Death' and 'Human Music' all got an airing, as well as solo rarities 'Uncorrected Personality Traits', 'Ye Sleeping Knights of Jesus' and 'Flavour of Night'. It was a fabulous night. Robyn was on fire, sculpting a setlist to die for and flooring us between songs with a series of unique stream of consciousness ramblings. A number of fans from the online Hitchcock community who've seen the great man in concert many more times than me, have lauded the gig as among the best they can remember.

Even if you're not already a fan, I'd recommend catching a Robyn Hitchcock concert if he pitches up in your part of the world anytime soon. I guarantee that you'll come away having been royally entertained and feeling totally besotted. (A sidebar to the Scottish contingent of our little corner of the internet: Robyn is back in the UK to play Glasgow's Celtic Connections on January 26th - put it in your diaries!) I'll leave you with the 1986 original of another highlight from the Union Chapel show.

Robyn Hitchcock - Winchester

My Eyes Have Seen the Trolley Bus in 1964

Yer humble author hanging out with Robyn after the show

I know he's already had a lot of love from these pages in recent weeks, but the great Robyn Hitchcock is once again looming large in my mind following Friday night's concert at a tiny Ipswich venue, in front of a sold out audience of just 75 lucky punters.

 '... in 1966, when I was a 13 year old boy listening to Blonde on Blonde, I used to dream of one day wearing a polka-dot shirt, blowing a harmonica and playing a slightly out of tune guitar in front of a small audience somewhere in East Anglia...' (Perfectly timed pause, followed by a big smile) '...and tonight my dream has come true..!' 

In a setlist that delved deep into his vast catalogue, Robyn played a request for me (the frankly magnificent 'Be Still'), another for a mate of mine ('So You Think You're in Love') and concluded his encore with a superb cover of 'Visions of Johanna' - it really doesn't get much better for The Swede than that. Here's a 2017 live clip of the lovely 'Raymond and the Wires', also performed on Friday evening.

No-one Gets a Retraction

2018 has been a pitiful year for me in terms of live gigs - I barely scraped into double figures. A pathetic effort, easily my worst annual total since the mid-1970s. Fortunately I already have tickets for five 2019 concerts in my back pocket (two of which I'm ridiculously excited about) - a good start, let's hope it will continue.

My last gig of 2018 was the final stop on Brix Smith and the Extricated's 'Breaking State' tour. With two strong albums of original material under their collective belts, these days the band concentrate on their own songs, featuring just four from The Fall's back catalogue in their set - 'Totally Wired', Dead Beat Descendant', 'Feeling Numb' and a superb 'Glam Racket'. If I had one quibble, it would've been nice to have heard Brix's voice a smidge higher in the mix, but that really is me being very picky. They were absolutely terrific - seeing Brix and the Hanley brothers in full flight once again was a joy to behold.

Brix and the Extricated - Dog Face (Lost in Gdansk)

Marisa Anderson

Marisa Anderson onstage at the Colchester Arts Centre

My days of making regular 100+ mile round trips for gigs are largely a thing of the past. If a band isn't playing fairly locally, or at least somewhere near a convenient place where I can get my head down for the night, I tend to pass. There are exceptions though and one evening early last week I made the hour and a half drive to see Marisa Anderson play at the Colchester Arts Centre.

Anderson's timeless music draws from Gospel, Delta blues, rustic American country, Saharan drones and even, in the case of her interpretation of 'The Daemon Lover', the British folk tradition. She finished her main set with a mesmerising reading of 'Sant Feliu de Guíxols', my favourite tune from her latest LP 'Cloud Corner'. It remained firmly lodged in my noggin for the entire hour and a half drive home.

New Shoulders to Cry On

I felt every one of my 58 years earlier this week, when telling a couple of work colleagues the name of the artist I was going to see in concert that night. 'Nils Lofgren' I said. Blank faces. 'Singer-songwriter' I added helpfully. Blank faces. 'Well he's been a member of the E-Street Band for 35 years'. Blank faces. 'Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band?' I continued, becoming a tad desperate. '...Bruce Sprig...who?' Neither of them had ever heard of Bruce Springsteen. It wasn't that they were unfamiliar with his music, or knew him but didn't like his stuff - they had literally never heard of Bruce Springsteen. How do you get into your early 20s without ever having at least heard of Bruce Springsteen? I threw a few more big names at my baffled colleagues to see if anything stuck. 'Bob Dylan?' Nope. 'Tom Petty?' Nope. 'The Clash?' Nope. I was clearly being too obscure. 'The Beatles' I boomed confidently. 'You must have heard of The Beatles?' 'Oh yes, I've heard of them,' came a reply '..but I don't think I've heard any music by them. Are they an instrumental group?' I kid you not.

It's been 40 years since I first saw Nils Lofgren in concert and around 25 years since the last time. This latest tour is a stripped back celebration of his 50th year on the road and showcases material from all stages of that long and successful career. The highlight of the night for me was 'Black Books', a song originally released on his 1995 studio LP 'Damaged Goods', though this interpretation from 1997's 'Acoustic Live' is much closer to the atmospheric version we got on Tuesday evening.

Nils Lofgren - Black Books

Lah-Dee-Doo-Dah, Lah-Dee-Dah

Neil Innes on stage in Ipswich

Neil Innes, Urban Spaceman, seventh Python, friend of the Fabs and the nicest man in showbiz, walked towards me having just concluded a hugely entertaining performance with The Rutles in front of an intimate gathering of 75 or so Ipswich punters. 'Ah, there you are' he said, shaking my hand vigorously as if greeting a long lost friend. 'I could see you in the audience from here upwards...', holding a flattened palm across the bridge of his nose to illustrate, '....and I thought, bloody hell, it's John Cleese!' Now I've been mistaken for a couple of famous people in my time (one of which I wrote about here), but never a septuagenarian comedy legend. 'Of course,' Innes continued, by way of apologetic explanation, 'I wasn't wearing my glasses at the time!' He smiled broadly as he signed my original 1978 Rutles LP, chatted a little more, thanked me for coming and firmly shook my hand once again. The show was by way of a full dress rehearsal for the month long 'Major Happy Tour', which commemorates the 40th anniversary of the film, 'The Rutles: All You Need is Cash'.

'Of course, for the purposes of the movie,' said Innes from the stage earlier in the evening, 'we pretended that The Beatles had never existed'. Short pause. 'But now, 40 years on, I suppose I can admit that there are certain similarities between their work and ours.' Cue a warm wave of laughter from the audience.

If the tour is due to pass through your town, I'd thoroughly recommend bagging yerself a ticket. You'll find yourself involuntarily grinning from ear to ear at the brilliantly interwoven Fabs references that litter Neil's terrific original songs from the 1978 LP, 1996's 'Archaeology' and recent release, 'The Wheat Album'. You'll very possibly also have to sniff back a tear or two if Innes & Co decide to keep their covers of 'All Things Must Pass' and 'The End' in the set.

A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

The Rutles - Shangri-La

My Hat's Off to You

I caught Richard Thompson's solo acoustic tour on Saturday evening and watching him perform from just a few feet away was, as always, a jaw-dropping treat. We didn't get 'I Misunderstood' or 'The Ghost of You Walks', both of which he's played recently and are personal favourites of mine, but in all honesty it would be churlish to complain given the wonderful selection we did get. The opening salvo of 'Gethsemane', 'Down Where the Drunkards Roll' and 'Valerie' was simply breathtaking, 'Crocodile Tears' laugh out loud funny and 'Beeswing' had many a grown man in the audience reaching for a hankie to wipe something from their eye. And so it continued, classics rubbed shoulders with forgotten gems, overlooked favourites and even an excellent new song, 'Trying', that's destined for Thompson's next LP in 2018.

In a night of many highlights it was, as ever, the phenomenal '1952 Vincent Black Lightning' that will linger longest in the memory. The older I get, the more I appreciate what an utterly perfect marriage of art, artist and performance this song really is.

Gethsemane

Down Where the Drunkards Roll

Valerie

Crocodile Tears

Beeswing

Beatnik Walking

Uninhabited Man

Push and Shove

They Tore the Hippodrome Down

I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight

Who Knows Where the Time Goes?

1952 Vincent Black Lightning

Persuasion

Trying

A Love You Can't Survive

Wall of Death

King Of Bohemia

One Door Opens

Encore: 

Tear Stained Letter

Encore 2:

Waltzing's For Dreamers

Hots For The Smarts

Meet on the Ledge

Rozi & Serafina

                 
Last year I was privileged to witness Rozi Plain perform an intimate show at the visitor's centre of a nature reserve on the North Norfolk Coast (here). Yesterday I saw her play in another unconventional location - a small building situated next to the main runway of the former RAF Bentwaters base in deepest Suffolk. Rozi and her band, supported by Serafina Steer (of Bas Jan, another firm favourite of this parish) each played fabulous sets in aid of the Kids Kino Project charity.

The view round the back of the venue

It was a family (and pet) friendly mid-afternoon event, starting at 3pm and all over by 6pm. As someone who is depressingly familiar with the chatter and disruption that seems to have become the norm at gigs these days, it was refreshing to be part of an audience that included many very young children and several dogs, all having a great time and behaving impeccably. Watch out for new music from both Bas Jan and Rozi Plain later this year. 

Billy Bragg & Joe Henry

(Photo taken by Andi of Outline magazine)

The doors had only been open for 30 minutes on Tuesday evening and many people were still filing into the venue when Billy Bragg and Joe Henry walked unannounced onto the stage at bang-on 8pm. The pair launched into a strong six song selection from their recent collaborative LP of great American railway songs, 'Shine a Light', each one being individually set into context by either Billy or Joe. After concluding their opening segment with a version of Gordon Lightfoot's 'Early Morning Rain', Billy took his leave and left Joe alone in the spotlight, to perform a five song solo set. Some of the audience around me became a little restless during Bragg's absence and following Joe's first song, 'Trampoline', the chap next to me lent over and idly asked what I'd thought of the show so far. I told him that though I'd been lucky enough to see Billy Bragg many times in my life, I'd waited 21 years to see Joe Henry sing 'Trampoline' and it had absolutely made my night. He admitted that he'd never heard of Joe Henry before the present collaboration and looked at me gobsmacked. To my surprise this memorable performance wasn't even the highlight of Joe's set. That came with a cover, 'Freedom For the Stallion', proceeded by a moving tribute to his great friend Allen Toussaint who died in 2015. Here's an audience recording of the same song from last year.

After a short intermission, it was Billy Bragg's turn to sing a few of his own songs, including two brand new compositions. One, 'The Times They Are A-Changin'...Back', is unlikely to be formally recorded, but I can see it becoming a constantly re-written and updated staple of Billy's set for the foreseeable futre. The other, which may or may not be called 'The Dreams of Reason', is an equally powerful work in progress - just five days old on Tuesday. Following Billy's well received solo set, he was rejoined by Joe for more from 'Shine a Light' plus a fine cover of Dylan's 'Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You' during the encore. An excellent night.

KC Rules OK

In all the times I've seen King Creosote perform since 2005, no two shows have been remotely similar in repertoire or musical accompaniment. Over the years I've witnessed him play variously as part of a duo, a trio, a four piece, in a Fence Collective supergroup, with Jon Hopkins performing the whole of 'Diamond Mines' and, memorably, there was the occasion when he limped onto the stage on crutches and in a full leg plaster, accompanied only by a djembe player. This past Tuesday evening in Norwich saw KC, bizarrely, in glam-rock mode (glitter, make-up, the works), fronting a seven piece band and showcasing, almost exclusively, songs from his most recent LP proper, 'Astronaut Meets Appleman'. I emphasise proper because in addition to this official release, KC has also been responsible for a flurry of low key, limited edition LP's and CD's over the past 18 months, many of which were available on the merch stand and, frustratingly, none of which I could afford.

Musically, the gig was nigh-on impeccable. 'You Just Want', 7½ minutes on record, was extended to a dramatic 12 minutes, creating an atmospheric opening to the show, while the insistent 'Surface' brought the main set to a similarly intense conclusion. The highlight of the night for me though was a stunning performance of 'Betelgeuse', which knocked the original studio recording into a cocked hat - it really was spellbinding stuff. In fact my only minor quibble with the whole shebang would be the amount of time KC spent chatting to the audience in between each song. Don't get me wrong, his humourous banter has always been an integral and enjoyable part of every KC show I've seen, but on Tuesday it was off the scale. Had he curtailed his waffle just a little, he could have easily played an additional two or three songs.

Only during the encore did King Creosote venture away from 'Astronaut Meets Appleman' material, first delving back to 2014 for an airing of his own 'I'm A Great Believer In Threes', before concluding the evening with a terrific reading of 'Star of Hope', a reprisal of his cameo on Mairearad Green's recent LP, 'Summer Isles'.

The Triffids at Islington Assembly Hall

In April 2010, 11 years after David McComb's tragic early death, the surviving members of The Triffids reconvened for a concert at The Barbican to salute their fallen leader. In spite of my best efforts I was unable to make it that night, but asked a friend who was going to text me his thoughts after the show. At around 11.05 that evening his three word review came through - 'Grown men wept'.

In Islington on Friday evening, The Triffids reunited once again, this time to commemorate the 30th anniversary of 'Born Sandy Devotional'. '...it's the best thing we’ve ever done, there's no question about it...' said McComb of the album soon after its original release. The core line-up of the band was bolstered by the great Chris Abrahams from The Necks on keyboards, with Rob Snarski (from The Blackeyed Susans), JP Shilo, Simon Breed and Toby Martin sharing the vocal duties. This time around, in spite of my current lack of a car, I made it to the show - a full 27 years since I last saw The Triffids in concert. It was akin to a reunion with old friends. And yes, grown men wept.

(A couple of years ago, I wrote a little about my history with The Triffids here)

(Recorded a couple of nights earlier in Amsterdam)

Stewart Lee in Aldeburgh

'I'm post-laughter' says Stewart Lee. Expanding on this statement, he imagines an audience member's conversation the morning after the show. 'Did you see that Stewart Lee last night?' 'Yes I did.' 'What did you think of him?' 'Well, I didn't laugh much, but I agreed the fuck out of him.' In reality, on Saturday night in downtown Aldeburgh there was no shortage of laughter. He had the entire audience in stitches from his opening few lines, during the course of which he described the beautiful Suffolk coastal town, in typically deadpan style, as a 'white supremacist fishing village'. I laughed so hard that at one point I seriously thought I'd pulled a muscle in my chest. In the seat behind me, another man laughed equally loud and long. It was Alexi Sayle - and he knows a thing or two about stand-up comedy.

The performance was billed as a work in progress, which essentially gives Lee carte blanche to read freshly written material straight from the page when necessary, as he fine tunes his new touring show. He explained that trialling new material in the age of mobile phones and YouTube is usually a fraught process, but in Aldeburgh he was confident that being so far from civilisation, no word would ever reach the outside world. The new tour, 'Content Provider', begins in earnest in November and will continue throughout 2017 and into early 2018. On Saturday evening he talked (amongst other things) about Brexit, Game of Thrones, Bake Off and the differences between folk sex and jazz sex - some or none of these topics might make it to the finished show. I've already got my 'Content Provider' ticket booked for February, so I'll let you know.

Here's a recent Quietus interview with Stewart Lee, where he talks at length about writing, performing and being a music fan in the 21st Century. Even if you don't like his stand-up, he's a fascinating bloke and this is well worth a listen.

Rachael Dadd & Will Newsome

After a short mid-season break, I was back on the gig circuit just before the weekend to see Bristol based musicians Rachael Dadd and Will Newsome. Rachael collaborates extensively with artists such as Francois & The Atlas Mountains, This Is The Kit, and Rozi Plain and also has a clutch of releases under her own name, the most recent of which, the beautiful 'We Resonate', featuring among my favourite albums of 2014. On Rachael's current tour her collaborator is her sister Betsy, an animator and film maker. As Betsy's 30 minute film plays on a screen behind the stage, it's accompanied by a live uninterrupted suite of songs from Rachael at the piano. At the outset Rachael explained that this was something very different for her, which indeed it was, but it was nothing short of a triumph - I was completely lost in the presentation for the whole half hour. I asked her after the show if she had any plans to document the audio/visual performance at some point and she appeared very keen to do so - I really hope it happens. Following the film portion of the set, Rachael played a few songs from 'We Resonate' in a more familiar style, accompanying herself at various times on guitar, banjo and ukulele, before calling support act Will Newsome to the stage to duet on 'On We Skip', from an album the pair made together in 2008.

Will Newsome's solo supporting set was every bit as compelling as Rachael's. He plays the kora, an instrument I've been fascinated with since picking up Toumani Diabaté's 'New Ancient Strings' album in 1999. The kora is an unfathomable instrument to me - it faces the player who usually appears to be keeping a half-a-dozen tunes going at once, in spite of barely moving their hands. As if that wasn't enough to keep him occupied, Will sings too. His set was a treat and the performance of 'Not a Dead Bird' was particularly memorable, featuring an intricate extended instrumental passage. Here's Will introducing an al fresco version of that very song, followed by the 2014 video for Rachael's 'Strike Our Scythes' and finally the two of them together on the original studio recording of 'On We Skip'

Ryley Walker / Holly Macve

 

Almost exactly 12 months on from his first visit, Ryley Walker last night returned to the Norwich Arts Centre to promote his imminent third LP, 'Golden Sings That Have Been Sung'. As with last year's concert, the recorded versions of his songs serve as mere sketches for Ryley, and his two superb backing musicians, to build on - adding instrumental flourishes, extended breaks and virtual raga-esque passages that completely transfix the partisan audience. Walker's affable onstage demeanour is in stark contrast with the absolute intensity of his performance - how many other musicians invite their entire audience over to the pub for a drink after the show? Come to think of it, how many other performers give out their home address from the stage, offering a place to crash if any of us are ever in Chicago? I scribbled it down, just in case.

Talking of scribbling down, grab a pen and paper and make a note of this name - Holly Macve, Ryley Walker's support act last night. She's young, English and signed to Bella Union, though she sounds for all the world like cross between Patsy Cline and Paula Frazer. Quite incredible. The songs are as strong as the voice, but there's no album just yet. Definitely one to watch out for. 'Corner Of My Mind' is the first taste of what's to come.

Rozi Plain / Milly Hirst - Live at the Norfolk Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre, Cley Marshes

Rachel Horwood and Rozi Plain at Cley

Before we went inside, Mrs S & I watched skylarks performing vertical pirouettes in the far distance, spoonbills and little egrets poking around in the shallows, oyster-catchers piping frantically overhead and terns plummeting from the skies into the deeper waters beyond. A little later, as Milly Hirst began her set, a heron flew low from left to right across the sight-line directly behind the performance area. A majestic marsh harrier passed by in the opposite direction soon after. It was a busy evening on Cley Marshes.

In these idyllic surroundings, Milly impressed the hell out of me once again (I wrote about her previously here), playing a couple of songs with which I wasn't familiar and teasing us with a progress report on how the recording of her debut LP is coming along. Then it was time for Rozi Plain, who played a wonderful stripped down set with only Rachel Horwood for company. By now I'm sure that everyone is aware of just how highly I rate Rozi's music (look here if you need reminding) and to see her play in such an intimate setting (the audience numbered a mere 50) was truly a privilege.

At the conclusion of Rozi's set, we wandered back outside to watch the last rays of the sun disappear from the huge North Norfolk sky. The silhouette of a barn owl fluttered silently above the marsh. What a glorious evening.

Mbongwana Star

Too many times already this year, not least the past few days, it's been difficult to find a ready excuse to smile. So to leave a gig on Tuesday evening with my jaw aching just as much as my legs, was a real treat for the soul. I can't remember the last non-comedy show I saw that had me continuously beaming from ear to ear, quite as much as Congolese six piece Mbongwana Star did. The band's debut album, 'From Kinshasa', made my long-list at the end of 2015 and they are still out there promoting it in a truly joyous fashion. Guitarist Jean Claude (aka R9) appeared to be the musical director, keeping things gloriously tight but loose, while occasionally lurching into wildly off-kilter, Tony Iommi-esque solos. Meanwhile, Theo Nzonza, one of two wheel-chaired vocalists, was a blur, busting moves that put this able-bodied old fool to shame - '...is good?....is good...?' Theo repeatedly asked us in broken English. The roar of the audience's reply required no translation. Catch them if you can.

Tindersticks

Apparently, it's been 20 years since I last saw Tindersticks in concert. Blimey. Sometimes I really do struggle with this passage of time thing. In the interim the band released several great records, took a hiatus, reconvened in a slightly amended form and then released more great records - 2008's 'The Hungry Saw' and 2010's Falling Down a Mountain' being particular favourites around these parts.

This year Tindersticks released their 11th LP, 'The Waiting Room' and to compliment the album, the band created a short film for each of the 11 tracks. For the second set of their performance last night, they played 'The Waiting Room' in sequence, as the films were projected onto a giant screen behind them. In spite of one brief technical hitch, it was pretty jaw-dropping stuff.

This is 'We Are Dreamers!', featuring Jehnny Beth of Savages on backing vocals.