Paul Woodgate

There’s a lot to savour on ‘A Wanderer I’ll Stay’, not least a free and easy feel to the delivery, some deeply embedded hooks that emerge the more you listen and cultured playing. Allied to some good songs and those incredible voices, it’s a delicious little nugget of an album.

In approaching your music with the sangfroid of the accomplished musician; not everyone gets off on clever, but Lindsay and the Flatbellys make Ionia sound like a regular Saturday night down at the bar. Same again, barman.

Paul heads out on a Monday evening in North London to visit The Islington to catch Vikesh Kapoor and John Blek who have been touring Ireland and the UK together recently. Their British and American themes blending well over the course of a tour that provides cultural counterpoint for the listener to discuss in the bar afterwards.

Synthetic Hues is a melting pot of vigorously performed tales belying Vin Garbutt’s 67 years. It sounds fresh and wise at the same time, something only a man with years on the road can approach with any sincerity. You just hope the younger generations is listening in with an ear for the future.

Paul heads to London’s ‘The Hospital Club’ for the album launch of Stornoway’s new album Bonxie. The songs show a marked progression from the first two albums; more inventive, more confident and rounded, as are the band onstage.

VIP: Very Interesting Persons takes the trawler’s approach with Findlay Napier & Boo Hewerdine dragging their net across the globe in search of characters worthy of a song. As an album it marries musicality with individuality, hits the sweet spot early and keeps giving ‘til the end.

Paul heads to Servant Jazz Quarters on a February Thursday to see relocated Canadian native Miriam Jones faithfully reproduce tracks from her latest album, ‘Between Green And Gone’.

To say the album is accomplished would belittle the talent on show and the consistency of Steve Ashley’s output over five decades. ‘This Little Game’ may just be one of his best.

A one room, one microphone recording with no overdubs by John Parish, the music on Tom Brosseau’s Perfect Abandon is redolent of dust bowl ballads or early Sun sides…stripped of embellishment to reinforce the songs.

We talk to Jeffrey Foucault about songwriting, life and his forthcoming album Salt as Wolves which is due for release later this year – he tells us it’s his best yet.

Jeffrey Foucault leaves the audience at the Green Note wishing they didn’t have a place to catch. Another great performance with top support from British duo and FRUK favourites Sugar Magnolia.

With top support from Nashville’s fastest rising star Andrew Combs, Justin Townes Earle takes to the Union Chapel Stage energised, relaxed and firing on all cylinders.