Runaway’s Diary was inspired by the ramblings of Seasick Steve, and by Amy LaVere’s own brief stint as a teenage runaway. She inhabits a similar landscape to Lissie’s whole-hearted country rock, with hints of Tom Waits in his more romantic…
Sharon Van Etten has become one of the most splendid songwriters on earth. Not that she hasn’t had a somewhat torturous journey, but she is starting to really make her mark on popular music. Perhaps popular isn’t the right word.…
If you’ve not been downstairs at the Louisiana, it’s worth a visit for your smaller gigs. It’s a small room, no windows and one staircase in and out – kind of your typical cellar space. This was my first time…
Jackson, Kentucky native Sturgill Simpson returns with the follow-up to last year’s High Top Mountain, one which has already gathered widespread acclaim – and deservedly so. While its unwieldy title could leave even country fans fearing what lurks behind it,…
Yann Tiersen cannot be mentioned, perhaps sadly, without his majestic 2001 Amelie soundtrack being talked about. It must be hard moving on from that. It was, in short, one of the all time film soundtrack masterpieces. He is far from a…
Over recent months Sheffield duo Slow Club’s latest single, ‘Complete Surrender’ has had copious radio play and is as catchy as can be, so it’s no surprise that the intimate, no-frills Village Underground fills quickly, even before tonight’s support act…
When I first listened to Bird in 2011, the band played delicate, dark folk songs with layers of backing vocals and looped acoustic guitars. Three years later, they’ve added at least one member and upped the bass, producing an album…
The third album by Pure X, Angel, is an extremely laid-back soundtrack for summer. ‘Starlight’ is like a turquoise swimming pool; notes of soul and disco remind me of the dreamy haze of Twin Sister, the lyrics practically whispered. ‘Valley…
I saw Nick Mulvey support Laura Marling last year and was absolutely captivated by his simple, beautiful melodies. I was concerned a move into the studio would result in Mulvey losing this simplicity, but luckily, the record is raw, striking…
Merrill Garbus, without having even released her latest album, ‘Nikki Nack’, set a storm upon her fans after announcing a one-night-only appearance at London’s Village Underground. Predictably, it sold out in minutes, and those with tickets were undoubtedly in for…