Nadine Shah, Royal Northern Sinfonia, y Knats

Ducking under the low ceiling to climb on to the stage Nadine Shah, who is tall and made significantly taller by her high heel boots, looked back at the steps and gestured at them laughing and cajoling the audience to join in the joke. This is what its like watching Nadine perform. Its like you're down the pub with all her mates watching her crack out a few tunes while having a laugh.

Except the music is generally dark and brooding and often times ascerbic and cutting. Then her voice, tremulous, smokey, deep and practically perfect with all its quirks, sung in her native north east dialect simply takes your breath away.

We got most of the new album and quite a few of her older stalwarts. My favourite was the first encore, Divided from the new album. Nadine picking out the repeated two notes on her guitar subtly backed by just one additional guitar and delivering the lines with intimacy and passion. You could literally have heard a pin drop, or the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. Stunning.