The Bad Shepherds / Trevor Moss and Hannah-Lou

Some sweet old world folk from a close couple start off tonight's show. Trevor Moss and Hannah-Lou get up close and personal while sharing a microphone, it's at the end when they share a kiss that I get that they are a couple. Lovely harmonies and dual guitars create a lovely sound to warm up the small theatre. The husband and wife team used to play in the now parted Indigo Moss rock and bluegrass band until 2008. Now on their third solo album, and touring Europe regularly, you can see what a talented duo they are.

'Spin Me a Rhyme' from 'Quality First, Last and Forever' is a upbeat track, but it's the new album 'La Ferme De Fontenaille' (recorded in France, hence the title) where all the tracks call home. 'For A Minute There', 'Sweet Mary Jane' and 'The Day The Rebel In Me Dies' are all great tunes, but the stand out track for me is the first one they play that makes you take notice, 'A Proud Surrender'. Such a bittersweet track and performed so well.

The Bad Shepherds are also on their third album of amazing 'that shouldn't work but it does' covers and original songs. New album 'Mud, Blood and Beer' is about the very thing it sounds like it is - the title track, an original for the band, mentions Glastonbury and Reading Festivals drinking and possibly fighting. Ade Edmondson is back on his thrash mandolin playing a saying he has stolen, called "glorious racket". And indeed it is.

Troy Donockley is back and playing Uilleann pipes, cittern and whistle, sometimes managing a to change instruments and belt up into the straightjacket style pipes at a speed that would make Formula 1 pitstop workers proud, whilst also providing vocal harmonies at the same time. Oh ay and he can play the instruments rather well. Andy Dinan, well, what can I say! He doesn't say anything on stage but when his part is up he doesn't half play that fiddle with some skill and gusto, the most memorable time was during an instrumental with just him and Edmondson, the crowd cheer was one of the loudest all night! Edmondson is in a jolly mood, playing with hecklers ("Did you go to comedy college or did you get a certificate from a polytechnic?") and joking that when telling his Dad he wanted to be a musician, his Dad replied in despair "you'll never get a mortgage", to which he had one for a quarter of a million pounds a few years later! Though I guess not really with music!

The songs are mainly from the new album, and they are a good selection, carrying on the Bad Shepherds fondness of breaking down a good old simple punk song and layering it with folk magic. 'Gary Gilmore's Eyes' by The Adverts, 'What A Waste' by Ian Drury and The Blockheads, 'Shipbuilding' by Elvis Costello (not so punk then), 'Road To Nowhere' from Talking Heads, and my favourites 'No More Hereos' by The Stranglers, 'Going Underground' by The Jam and the one that sounds like its original the least, Madness' 'Our House'. Plus plenty from the other albums like PiLs' 'Rise', 'Once In A Lifetime' again by Talking Heads and 'White Riot' by The Clash, plus the rarely played ("but we don't know why 'cos we like it") Ramones Medley. There's also an embryonic stage version of The Smith's 'Girlfriend In A Coma'. Sadly no one in the crowd is called Nigel for them to dedicate XTC's 'Making Plans for Nigel' to. Overall it's a night of clever arrangements to a great selection of songs.

Anarchy In The UK
No More Hereos
Going Underground
What A Waste
Our House
Gary Gilmores Eyes
Shipbuilding
Road To Nowhere
Making Plans For Nigel
Friday Night, Saturday Morning
God Save The Queen
Ramones Medley
London Calling
Mud, Blood And Beer
Rise
Once in a Lifetime

Girlfriend In A Coma
White Riot

FUTURE GIGS

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