North Sea Navigator at the Metropol, 8th Jan

North Sea Navigator / Leave Land For Water / Angel Tech
The Metropol, Bristol 8th Jan

This was my first visit to the Metropol club, on the south side of the river in Bedminster. The place is dark, low-ceiling'd and fairly big as a lot of these city venues go. There is a great lounge area where the bar is at the back with a little bandstand stage. The sound was pretty good, I thought as I took a seat behind five Angel Tech fans. A big empty room with a group of us sitting in little rows in the middle. Great. So anyway, Angel Tech, brilliant as always, this time playing one of my all-time favourite 'Tech songs Andromeda opened the evening with an acoustic set. The gig didn't have the reverent experience of the Folk House, but I could actually hear the band without having to look sternly around me and it was much more intimate.

Leave Land For Water (No web site that I could find, but you can listen here - well worth it, believe me) are a five piece, rock / bliss-out outfit with an amazing drummer. In fact, they're songs are a lot better when the singers stop, since frankly, their melodies just don't fit. That and their main singer can't sing. Musically, I really enjoyed the Ozric Tentacles style wig-outs and the fact that everybody seemed to be plugged into this box of effects that the keyboardist was constantly playing with. If they can sort the singing out, this band will be great. For now though, it's all about the drummer. They brought a crowd with them, who all disappeared almost as soon as they finished, which was a shame for North Sea Navigator who is gearing up for an album launch. He's been busy recording and honing his strange-but-lovely dirge-esque songs and the three piece is now sounding more and more together each time I see them (this one makes three times). The cello, electric guitar and drums / harmonium combination really makes for some strange but wonderful sounds and songs. Not your average band.

Acoustic Festival Day 1, 15th Jan

Acoustic Festival - The Folk House - 15th Jan

I took my bag, some CD's, a book and NOT a bottle of weak lemon drink. This was to be just about the only time I'd ever been to a gig on my own and I was a little bit worried. Worried about whether I'd be able to just sit there for six - seven hours without talking, save for running upstairs for a drink. Saturday was easier than Sunday, but I'll get into that later. The 'acoustic festival' is a new thing that the Folk House are hoping to make an annual event. With 8 bands for �6 (5 if you pay for both days) you can't go wrong surely, even if you have to sit through some crap to get to the good stuff? So anyway, there I was.

A bit late, because I missed the first act and got in just in time to see Phil King singing a sad song about being young and owing lots and lots of money. It was good in an acoustic singer-songwriter sort of a way and as it was the only song of his I saw, I can't really say how it reflects on the rest of his music.

Rachael Dadd sings songs of food and friendship, swimming in the Olympics and Chernobyl. Her songs have a strangeness about them that sets them apart from the usual girl-with-guitar music. She sings softly, with an innocent charm that makes some of the subjects almost alarming, 'there are sharks, sharks as big as houses; there are sharks as big as aeroplanes (Swimming for Gold).

Comperes are annoying aren't they. Apart from being rightfully aweful of Rachel's set, they bring on some strange man called Ben who we are supposed to know to badly introduce the next band. From Star FM apparently, I hope they talk less on the radio�

Isafire are a country / blues / celtic folk trio who have a disturbing tendency to explain what they think their next song is going to sound like, which is usually not what you end up hearing. Except for the 'darker side of folk' song. With the opening lyric 'don't the night look black' I think we might have worked it out for ourselves. I really didn't get on with the singer's Kate Bush affections and it really didn't seem to gel with the music very well.

In some ways I appreciate the gesture of telling us about the compositional process, 'we were listening to this and Bob thought how's about doing that and I said, with this solo in there�etc', but really we'll just get into an argument about whether music should come with and be understood in terms of its context, a history, or whether it should stand up on its own merits. Let the listener decide, since we all have drastically different appreciations of music anyway. I tend to jump between the two, depending on who I'm talking to. This is what I like to call People Skills.

The Weary Band sound like the Beta Band. Now that's the first impression dealt with, they are really like a young Beta Band. Nice close harmonies, apparently they are usually a louder, rockier outfit but the songs still work really well acoustically. It's a kind of music that's almost like pop but somehow manages to avoid being too twee. Especially when it gets loud.

Jane Taylor is a phenomenon of music. I saw her by accident at Glastonbury in some caf� tent at half past one in the morning. I stayed because she was about sing a song about living in Montpelier (which is in Bristol, if anyone who doesn't know the place ever reads this!) and it was totally engaging. In the occasions I have seen her since, she has always completely sucked me into the music and today was no exception. Playing solo, with occasional support from a cellist, the set was very intimate and you could have heard a pin drop as everyone in the room hung on every word.

'Sorry we are playing without a drummer today,' Babel's singer said, 'if anyone sees him, tell him he's sacked.' Then they launched into a set of fierce intensity - twelve string guitars are wonderful for this - which has planted this band firmly on the map as far as I'm concerned. The songs are a blend of many guitars, violin and bass, with slow changes and rich harmonies. If it's folk, it's a new kind of folk we will probably be hearing a lot more of in the future.

For a fiver, this was probably one of the best bargains I have had for a long time. I didn't get to read much of my book - but I learned about some new bands and walked away with some new music under my arm, vowing to get there on time tomorrow if today was anything to go by.

Acoustic Festival Day 2, 16th Jan

Acoustic Festival - The Folk House - 16th Jan

As I entered the room on the second day of the Acoustic Festival, I had a feeling today would be bit different to yesterday, which would be hard to beat in anyone's book. The gentle strains of American Country Folk whining, although erring on the better quality side of Country, still made me wonder whether I should just go home and come back for the big acts. I steeled myself for the long haul, picked out a good seat and settled down to get lost in science fiction.

Kizzy Morrel runs a workshop called Studio 7 at the nightclub Lakota where she helps young people to improve their singing and get into recording and performing. This is all fantastic. It's great that she encourages people to do this, and even though she seems to have her favourites who are always out when they do gigs, it's still a very worthwhile project. There is one big problem with all of this though. It's RnB. Not 'proper' rhythm and blues either, but this mediocre tripe we get in the charts�. I won't say any more, except that even though I hated all the songs, these kids are prodigiously talented and one of the 14 yr-old singers had the woman next to me in tears before she got to the bridge (the bridge in the song, and I mean the singer, not the woman got to the bridge� Tsk some people, I don't know...).

The Pindrop Band sing Welsh Folk songs in a jazz style. With a harp. This made for a great blend of musical cultures that worked really well. A lovely singer, and a blessed relief after Kizzy's Kids. The harpist had been guesting with the first band of the day, and we were all going to become very familiar with him as the maverick musician who seemed to be in every band and play about a million instruments.

Steve Hogg has a Handsome Family obsession. Apart from this, he's witty and was joined by the maverick man, who we learned was called Martin (and probably still is), as well as the bass player from the first band who also played the biggest melodica I've ever seen - a two-octave beast. Sometimes ponderous, sometimes uplifting, Steve Hogg has a great voice but didn't really hold it together long enough for me.

Roger Tarry sings songs of beautiful heartbreaking melancholy. It sounds very like Nick Drake, which is probably why he's supporting Keith James on his 'songs of Nick drake' tour. His CD is one of my best purchases of the weekend. Here was someone who really captured the attention of everybody in the room, and woe betide anyone who stuck their head round the door while Roger was playing!

Lara England's accompanist had just got off the plane from hunting bears in Alaska or somewhere. He coped extremely well with her little-girl songs about life, love and relationships and then proceeded to play another set with his own band Minerva. If you like Travis, you'll love Minerva. I don't.

Sadly, that was all I had time for, because when the next band - an 8-something-piece kicked into a full on Country assault I had to leave. There really are some things I just can't stand! I was wracked with guilt at leaving without staying for Caroline Martin so I bought her CD I had a hundred more reasons to stay by the fire, which is fantastic. If you want to read about her, the Bristol Evening Post's reporter seems to have only turned up to see her so you can read his review here.

So how did I cope with having no company for two days? The nice thing about the Folk House is that because everyone sits around tables, there is always respectful silence and you can fully appreciate the music. Not only that, but if anyone comes in, there will always be a few people who turn around to glare at them crossly, thus making sure they won't dare to ruin anyone's experience by climbing through the audience. Saturday was brilliant and Sunday, well there were some good songs and it was worth it just to find out about Roger Tarry.

Pop Will Eat Itself, 22nd Jan

The Academy, Birmingham, 22nd Jan

I went to see PWEI in Birmingham. There was no support, just a lot of very excited 20-30 something's in Poppies shirts and the odd add for Gorky's. About halfway through the nostalgia-fest I began pondering on how badly the music had actually dated. I'm sure it didn't sound like this! But I'd just been listening before the gig and it did! Maybe it's because it's been eleven years. The chord changes are clumsy, the sounds are 'of their time' and the only song in the main set that I felt really survived the test was 'Their Law', mainly courtesy of the Prodigy's greatest album. That's not to say I don't still think 'Ich Bin Ein Auslander 'is a great song - it helped me survive the evils of other teenagers - but some of it did feel a bit laboured. Back then I used to think it was aggressive and punky, but not any more. Maybe it was always like that, and the fact that my teachers thought everything was satanic helped.

The encore broke my reverie, as PWEI brought out all the real punky songs like 'Beaver Patrol' and 'Def Con One'. With classics like this how could I be so cynical? Mind you, it cemented the truth - as all punk gigs do - that nothing ever changes in shouty 3-chord (if you're lucky) punk music. When PWEI did this, it was nostalgia, and in ten year's time the kids will still think it's raw, edgy and original to strip music down to angry shouting basics. Occasionally of course, you get some really good songs.

Three encores and a two-hour set coupled with sharing the feeling of being fourteen again with a packed crowd certainly more than made up for all my cynicism. It's a shame they're only reforming to pay the bills.

Unusual Folk, 28th Jan

Jar / Thom Gilbert / Whale Bone Polly / Cajita
Fact Fans Presents Unusual Folk at the Folk House, 28th Jan

Jar's been practising since I last saw her. Or the sound at Sausage Time was shit that time. Anyway, seeing her playing on a real piano at the Folk House and having an audience hanging on every word, the music somehow made a lot more sense. She has a fantastic alto / lady bass voice, which wouldn't be out of place on any number of jazz records and her songs carry a greater intensity than I remember.

'This sounds just like a bloke with a guitar', my friend whispered half way through Thom Gilbert's second song. 'He's a singer songwriter,' I said, 'They're all the same when you get down to it'. Some stand out from the crowd more than others and despite his finger-picking skills and nice melodies, Thom's melancholy songs of love and loss and how the two are so tragically, poignantly entwined seem too standard, too familiar. Intimate yes, but I can't remember any of the tunes. Introduced as the reason Theo - the man behind the night - got into promoting in the first place, I suspect it was more from saying 'you should get into promoting, Theo' rather than inciting a great desire to share his talent with the world. I'm sure Theo will correct me.

I last saw Whale Bone Polly at an acoustic evening way back in October and they were quietly beautiful then, in a little bar where we all strained to hear every note. Today the music was phenomenal. To break it down, WBP are a female trio playing guitar, banjo, violin, the odd bit of clarinet and melodica. They all sing - close harmonies - to great effect and the songs are fun and lovely, in an 'Unusual Folk' kind of a way.

Cajita ditched the laptop (thank God) for this gig, electing instead to go with a snare / ride combination that proved much more effective. I found their song to be a little bit too full on, too strange and not that interesting. I think maybe I'd been affected by the 'Pollies more than I thought!

SJ Esau Album Launch, 29th Jan

Twocsinak / Rasha Shaheen / SJ Esau

The Cube, 29th Jan

'Mate, you can't sit there.' I looked around. 'But -' 'Look, I'm not being pissy, you can't sit there. Health & Safety'n'all that.' Confused, as I hadn't suggested he was being 'pissy' I asked the gentleman to kindly point out exactly where he thought I should sit. The stairs were the only free space. 'I dunno. But you can't sit there.' He cheered up a bit and smiled brightly as he left, comfortable in the knowledge that he'd Done His Bit. We sat back down, on the steps. People kept coming in and as they filled the floor I stole a seat that a latecomer was too late to reach. The lights dimmed, and the show began with a story.

There was an air of inter-webby excitement about this evening. Almost everybody I've met over the last few months through Choke had left their terminals and come out in anticipation of SJ Esau's album launch. The little Microplex was packed to the gills, the sell-out crowd augmented by the bloke on the door's mates (nah mate, it's sold out - ah go on then!) and marred only slightly by the fact that even people I've never met seem to know who I am now. No more secret making fun of them all on the web, now I have to do it in public.

Twocsinak (2 c's in a K) was today represented by ex-postman 'Joe', who played a strange set comprised of tribute songs to the life of the postman and other stories. Most notable was the song where he was joined by two girls from the band male (see the joke there?). One played guitar: 'just play c, d and g, yeah that'll do, I can't sing anyway'. The other was handed a bundle of envelopes as her instrument. 'These are all my payslips, I guess you can ruffle them or hit the desk or something'. Another song had a backing track created entirely from sampling the sound of rubber-band balls of varying sizes being dropped on a desk. In between the songs we are treated to banter and little anecdotes. The music? What did it sound like? You actually want me to try and describe the broken mess of hinted rhythm and melodies that I'm sure my brain made up to make up for the fact that they weren't really there at all? Random samples glued together clumsily and I'm sure with more care than is evident, accompanied by strange noises and poor - but very funny - singing. Twocsinak is very entertaining, confusing, cacophonous, sometimes tuneful, mostly not although the plates of noodles and sardine-packed bar made it all gel in a surreal kind of way.

Rasha Shaheen sings songs. She tries to make it different by playing with a slightly dirty guitar sound. It made me want more, perhaps there were too many distractions and the bar really wasn't the right place for this anymore. More instruments would be good, more variety, more passion and maybe a better venue would have made this more impressive.

SJ Esau once again proved that he is a formidable force in new and exciting music, with a set of old and new numbers. His delay-sampling-singing-repetitive songs were eclipsed by the quality of the newer material, complete with full band. A testament to how having a group of skilled musicians can add more feeling and magic than any electronics. The band gradually got bigger and bigger, one song employed about 8 people improvising on various brass instruments. All-girl lush-folk trio Whale Bone Polly join for another to sing beautiful harmonies. My favourite track remains the Cat song (He's got no balls) with its acoustic folky roots and dramatic dynamic changes. Although it was a very short set, Sam's music remains unique, strange, beautiful and exciting.