Gillian Welch at the Hammersmith Apollo

Gillian Welch & David Rawlings

Hammersmith Apollo, 23 November 2011

"I just looked around at all the stage I'm not using," quipped Gillian Welch at the start of the show and it's true that she, along with partner and musical accompanist David Rawlings, do look slight on the vast and historic Hammersmith Apollo stage. But, man, do they manage to fill it with their voices and Rawlings' amazing guitar playing. The Apollo may be far from intimate but by the end the show it certainly felt like it was.

My Brightest Diamond at St Giles In The Field

My Brightest Diamond

Jess Bryant

St Giles In The Field, 17 November 2011

Shara Worden came dancing up the aisle at the start of the show at St Giles In The Field, literally. Wearing a white mask and a costume of felt orange flowers (also worn by the chamber assemble backing her tonight), she twisted and turned and pointed as in some kind of new tribal dance that was both theatrical and fun. After seeing St. Vincent last week at the Queen Elizabeth Hall I wondered what her fellow ex-Sufjan Stevens alumni, Worden, would be like, playing in a church no less, but this was something completely and charmingly different.

St. Vincent at Queen Elizabeth Hall

St. Vincent

Cate Le Bon

Queen Elizabeth Hall, 10 November 2011

After seeing Annie Clark in such tiny venues a couple of years back it was strange to see her play the much bigger and totally sold out Queen Elizabeth Hall. That said, it was no surprise really, aside from all the buzz surrounding her new album, Strange Mercy, her talent (and let's be honest here, her appealing pixie looks too) meant it was only a matter of time before she was discovered by a wider audience.

Janis Ian at Cadogan Hall

Janis Ian

Cadogan Hall, 5 November 2011

I've wanted to see Janis Ian live for years now. My aunt introduced me to her as a teenager but, heavily into my punk phase, I sort of scoffed at anything I deemed "middle of the road". But somehow, despite my prejudice, the songs At Seventeen and From Me To You crept into my heart.