Karl Svarc 18/12/10

Certainly one of the strangest and atmospheric venues I have ever been in - the Joseph Banks' Conservatory in Lincoln - a very big greenhouse full of exotic plants.

I had not heard of Karl Svarc before the tickets to the gig were arranged but it was a very enjoyable gig. The conditions at least were the opposite of my previous gig which was the Manics at the Birmingham Academy. From being stood up in a jostling crowd I found myself drinking red wine whilst sat a few feet from the stage next to a babbling brook and surrounded by trees and all the while indoors.

Karl was playing with an excellent harmonica player 'Easy'Bob Reid. The lead guitarist of the trio was ill but I found the combination of harp and Karl's guitar together with his understated but very musical singing just about right and it didn't need anything more. His style was sort of laid-back west coast country-influenced singer songwriter and it had a good rhythmic feel to it as well as his attractive vocals. The babbling brook gave excellent rhythm support and his son added a second guitar on some tracks. In the set was also a few tracks from a drum trio and some songs from singer songwriter Chantal who had a lovely voice and an intense style that reminded me a bit of Edwina Hayes. A good evening - roll on the next gig in a greenhouse.

Manic Street Preachers 14/12/10

This gig was postponed from October and featured British Sea Power in support. I came to them (BSP) cold and I liked the line up which saw three guitars and a violin on the opening tracks together with bass and drums. They played with energy and they had their moments which for me were the tracks that had some melodic content and a couple of songs that were reminiscent of sub-Springsteen riffs. Otherwise it was a bit uninspired, maybe even slightly anodine. There was a lot of energetic strumming but I felt they needed a bit of imagination to turn their technical expertise into something memorable.

Manics launched straight into some crowd favourites and in fact didn't really linger at any point in the gig on tracks from their excellent new album 'Postcards from a Young Man'. Despite some awful watching conditions (peering between peoples heads)the band played a selection from their whole career at some pace and it was all good to hear. James Dean Bradfield showed that he is a really good guitarist live and in fact he sounded better live than on record. The odd thing for me was that the audience was very enthusiastic and voluble down in the standing area but there was an inverse correlation between the songs I thought were outstanding and the audience's enthusiasm. For me 'This is Yesterday' and 'Faster' from 'The Holy Bible' were outstanding as well as stuff from the new album and also 'If you tolerate this'. Another highlight for me was the first of James' two solo acoustic numbers 'You Stole the Sun from My Heart'. I'm guessing the audience was brought up on late 90's manics rather than the earlier stuff. The band also played a Wham cover 'Last Christmas' - slightly strange even though it is nearly Christmas but I can say it was a lot better than Wham doing it. I was glad to see that the Manics hadn't lost their enthusiasm and energy from when I saw them in 92. I would have preferred a better environment to hear them in but maybe the two things don't go together.

Seth Lakeman 26/4/08

The gig was branded as 'English Originals' and as well as Seth Lakeman it included Tunng and Sharon Krauss. I was intrigued by the rootsy nature of this new folk, particularly as the roots were not from the usual regions but in Seth's case the South West.

I don't remember much of Sharron Krauss but I remember liking her set without being particularly inspired. Tunng didn't really do it for me although I caught them as part of a hybrid band the following year and liked them a lot more. On this ocassion I found them a bit disjointed.

Seth however was excellent. His fiddle and guitar playing was supremely energetic and positive and was at the same time rooted in regional tradition. There were songs about mining disasters and lifeboat disasters and dark nights on moors. The whole band was good with his brother playing fiddle and other instruments and a dynamic upright bass player who added to the energetic tempo of the gig.

He played a stack of songs off " Freedom Fields" which was the only album I knew and they really resonated as live tracks. 'King and Country' was amazing as was the final track 'Setting of the Sun' - both deeply poignant. 'Lady of the Sea' and 'Colliers' delivered a more dynamic energy. Good stuff all round.

Alison Krauss/Robert Plant 5/5/08

As a long term fan of Alison Krauss and also of Robert Plant as one of the best of the 70's vocal frontmen, this was a tour not to be missed. I was aware that Buddy Miller was in the live band but was overjoyed to find that T-Bone Burnett was also on stage with them. Now that is a band line-up.

The support was an overawed local band

From the moment the band struck with a typical swampy T-Bone Burnett rhythm and the two vocalists entered from opposite sides of the stage the gig was top class. Individually Krauss and Plant are great singers but their voices combined beautifully as well. Alison Krauss has the most amazing voice ultimately powerful and flawless however high she cranks it up.

They went throgh pretty much all of their album 'Raising Sand', threw in some Led Zep classics reinterpreted for banjo and southern US musicians and one or two covers as well. Along the way T-Bone got to do a couple of songs that oozed New Orleans.

Highlights of the gig for me included 'Killing the Blues' and 'Please Read the Letter' where Plant really delivered the emotion and almost any track that featured Krauss's vocals. She delievered a Tom Waits cover beautifully and led an acapella version of 'Down to the River To Pray'. The band meanwhile which of course included Krauss on violin were just about perfect. T-Bone and Buddy Miller on guitar - awesome.

There may have been some who went hoping to hear Led Zep but I think everyone went home happy. A flawless gig.

Steve Winwood 7/10/08

After a gap of thirty years or so I was delighted to see Steve Winwood again in 2003 when he seemed to restart touring. Ever since I have caught up with him once a year or so as he wends his way round the smaller provincial venues of the midlands. This was the 2008 version and it was at the Wulfrun Hall in Wolverhampton.

Steve generally mixes up a set from the 60s to the present day and he has a back catalogue of such quality and of such depth that the show is always filled with great songs. The line-ups often change year to year and this gig saw Jose Neto on guitar, Paul Booth on sax and Richard Baily on drums.

Much as I rate Steve Winwood as an organ player and a singer and basically I think he's pretty much as good as it gets I have a deep love of his guitar playing and at most gigs he delivers two or three tracks on guitar. This time he picked up the guitar early on to play 'Can't find my way home' and stayed with it for a memorable 'Dirty City'. If anything this was a slower-paced gig than some of the Winwood shows. He started out with 'Different Light'and also did 'Fly' and 'At Times We Do Forget' from Nine Lives - all atmospheric and thoughtful tracks. 'Low Spark' was another classic track in the same mould and as usual he also did 'Higher Love' which I reckon is played at all of his shows. For the encore he ripped it up with 'Dear Mr Fantasy' with Steve playing mesmeric guitar and then 'Gimme Some Lovin' ' to end the show.

Another great Winwood show - what more is there to say.