Phil 'swill' Odgers und Bobby Valentino

Another great, intimate gig in a very quirky venue. Great chat, great set list and very enjoyable support.

Phil & Bobby never fail to impress.

Excellent value as always - just wish work wasn’t getting in the way of me heading to tonight’s gig.

Not to be confused with the American R&B singer who ultimately changed his name because of legal action, Bobby Valentino - or Robert James Beckingham, as he was born - is that rarest of things; a genuinely respected country artist from outside of the United States. Hailing from England, instead, Valentino spent most of his early career playing with Hank Wangford, appearing regularly on his television show in front of audiences of millions, before moving onto collaborations with artists better known in the pop world; his main instrument is the violin, and his work on it can be heard on recordings be the likes of The Alabama 3, Bob Geldof and Shania Twain. He’s also done a little bit of acting and modelling work, too, occasionally playing Clark Gable in advertisements. His three albums to date have done enough to earn him a modest following in his own right, too, and they’ll likely be clamouring for news of his fourth full-length, which has a working title of Six Feet Three Inches. There might also be new, too, of a rare return to the road for Valentino in his own right; he’s played as part of other bands in the past, but his own gigs have been few and far between.