Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield, Royal Festival Hall, 4 December 2012

 Through a wonderfully ramshackle set, Evan and Juliana traded songs one after the other, supporting each other in duets and harmonies.

Evan opened with All My Life ("All my life I thought I needed all the things I didn't need at all..'), then Juliana played Butterflies. Evan played Bit Part, then Juliana played Choose Drugs and, without threatening to go Ben Elton on us, you had a feeling they might be telling a story with their song selections.

Juliana then played Candy Wrappers before Evan sang Down About It. As they traded songs they seemed to slightly winging it. A woman called Mara joined Evan to play the musical saw on Hard Drive, and Juliana then played I Picked You Up.


And the bouncing of songs continued, going back and forth in a really effective way. Evan played Confetti, Juliana played Brain Damage, then sang played Into Your Arms, and then they played the Velvet Underground's Pale Blue Eyes, Evan played a wonderful Ride with Me and Juliana sang the Blake Babies' Waiting for Heaven.

Juliana spoke about how Evan was a great under-rated songwriter and that the next song, Hospitalm, was one of her real favourites of his, though she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

They then talked about it being a 'gruelling and pleasurable' five-date tour, before Evan played a really good It's About Time.Then Juliana played Breaking Down which was quite bluesy and Mara came back on to join Evan for a really excellent Big Gay Heart.

Juliana dedicated My Sister to the future spawn of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Evan played a Being Around, with a bit great scraping on his guitar strings after the 'would you scrub me' line, then Juliana played Hey Babe and Evan played Frying Pan. Juliana played Somebody is Waiting for Me, and Evan played It's a Shame About Ray and My Drug Buddy to end the main set.

They opened the encore with a cover of Madder Rose's Baby Gets High, and Evan closed the encore with Mike Nesmith's Different Drum.

It was a fun, if slightly under-rehearsed show that really reminded us of the quality of Evan's songwriting and made us want to investigate Juliana's back catalogue further. The song-trading was a really effective way of adding dynamics and colour without detracting from the stripped-down and intimate arrangements. And they played from a bit after 8pm to 9.40ish so we were able to get home for an early night - a present bands rarely give you!

Tinariwen, Union Chapel, London, 29 November 2012

The band opened with a haunting, droning acapella song before the full band in acoustic form kicked in. They somewhat overestimated our rhythmic talents and repeatedly encouraged the audience to clap along to the polyrhythms. Most of us initially resisted, rather than ruin their beautiful music, but then became caught up in the music and clapped out a simple steady rhythm.

The show wasn't very acoustic, with only one acoustic guitar on evidence. I don't think anyone will have asked for their money back, though. I found myself completely lost in the hypnotic rhythms and melodies, and they seem so fleeting and immediate because I can't 'hum' any of the tunes in my head.

There was a really stunning near-solo song towards the end of the set, with a whole blues band conjured up from, at least to start with, one guitar, played by the bassist left-handed but with standard, right-handed stringing, giving it a really exotic, but bluesy sound. They then played a run of storming foot-tappers to end the main set.

The encore opened with two songs played really effectively with just an acoustic guitar and a drum before the whole band came on for a really rousing finale. A really fun gig. Ca va bien!

Sam Lee, Union Chapel, 29 November 2012

Sam told great stories about the songs he played, their history and who had taught him each one. The inventive arrangements and accompaniment, using instruments from all over the world, made a great contrasting backdrop for Sam's traditionally stylised folk singing style.

There was also a lovely moment after Sam's 'last' song when two of the guys from Tinariwen joined Sam and traded verses on a live 'mash up' they'd tried out for the first time an hour and a half before the show. I wouldn't be surprised if they do something together again in the future.

Songlines Awards Concert - 23 November 2012 - Barbican London

Songlines Magazine put on a concert of winners of its awards at the Barbican, London. This was the first time they had done this. It was a great opportunity to see and hear something new as well as Tinariwen, an existing favourite. The concert will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 9 December on 'World on 3'

Fatoumata Diawara

Winner - Best Newcomer

Fatoumata opened with an acoustic number. She has an amazing voice. Her band joined her for the rest of the set. They were great fun, getting the crowd singing, clapping and waving. Another singer joined Fatoumata for harmonies and also played an impressive, exotic looking array of percussion instruments. A particular favourite was a song called "war" about peace.

Anoushka Shankar

Winner - Best Act

Anoushka's band were introduced as vey multi-cultural. The set fused and played with flamenco and classical Indian music. The band included a flamenco singer and guitarist and they opened with a song sung in Spanish but translated from an Indian poem. A number of the songs played with structures and tones that were common to both cultures. The Flamenco musicians left the stage and the set ended with a more traditional Indian song which allowed for solos from each musician.

Tinariwen

Winner - Best Band

Tinarewen were on fine form with their desert blues rock. The band blend traditional sounding singing ad melody with rock instruments. The lead switched between 3 frontmen who seamlessly picked up their guitar and main vocals from one another. The crowd were clearly fans and went wild when the band were presented with their award.

Hot Chip | Brixton Academy | 19 October 2012

You can tell a gig will be above the run of the mill when the clamour of touts two hours before the start rivals the buzz of the crowd inside. On a Friday night out, Hot Chip did not disappoint.

This homecoming show was a high-octane set with plenty of material from their new album, 'In Our Heads'. It was a pleasure to see this was greeted enthusiastically by the audience.

There's something slightly 80s or early 90s about Hot Chip's sound. When the set opened to strobe lights and a synth rhythm it felt like we had turned up to the world's biggest, funnest and most credible 80s night. We were even treated to a mid-set cover of Fleetwood Mac's Everywhere for our troubles.

Even the back of Brixton Academy, beneath the balcony, which tends to suffer from muffled sound and lack atmosphere, were bopping and beaming at one another. And it's definitely a good sign when even the people right at the back are dancing like it's 1989.

Gaslight Anthem, 15 Oct 2012, Brixton Academy, London

A really good gig. Crowd were completely into it from the start. The material from Handwritten went down really well, especially '45'.

The set was still very 59-Sound-heavy, but the pre-encore section really whistled along, except for a very slight lull before the Backseat closer.

Things really took off in the encore with a blinding version of American Slang and a really strong Queen of Lower Chelsea.

Seeing them again at Brixton, it was much more enjoyable being nearer the front and enjoying the audience clap-alongs than trying to appreciate them from the back as I did at their last Brixton gig.

I'm now really looking forward to seeing them again sometime soon.

Radiohead, 8 Oct 2012, O2, London

A superbly structured set of material drawn heavily from their post-Kid A albums, as well as recent singles such as Daily Mail, which was an early stand-out. The sound was the best I've heard at an arena show and the light and video show was mesmerising. They really added to the experience, especially as the Radiohead audience seem to be near-universally tall and so the band were only visible in brief glimpses. The whole band were on great form and the tunes were kept short and taut. Opening Everything in its Right Place with a snippet of REM's One I Love was a nice touch to round off the set. A really enjoyable evening.

Born to Run Over and Jobsworths

Bruce may never have done an MTV Unplugged performance - after his scheduled unplugged performance ended by as his 1993 In Concert/MTV Plugged show. But the British media have been worked up by the plug being pulled on Bruce and Paul McCartney's Saturday night show at Hard Rock Calling.

For one thing, the plug-pulling ending seems incredibly unnecessary, and to show a stunning failure of imagination or basic common sense. Could the organisers not have cut off all the amplification except Bruce and Paul's microphone, so that they could explain to the crowd what was happening and sing a final few lines? Could Bruce and Paul not have been told what was happening, as they clearly were completely unaware for a while that the sound had been cut off? And how did the communication channels breakdown so far that Bruce couldn't decide how (if not when) to finish his set? It all seems incredibly odd, and really poor on the part of the promoters not to announce what was happening or let Bruce talk to his audience.

Having said that, the show's certainly received far more coverage than would other have been the case. Many newspapers reviewed the Sunderland date, as something of a trailer for the Hyde Park show, so would have been unlikely to do much more than they had for Bruce's Isle of Wight performance, which merited only a paragraph or so in most reviews of the festival as a whole.

But yesterday the papers screamed about how 'kill-joy organisers pulled the plug on the dream finale' and 'jobsworths unplug Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney'. For a 62-year-old and a 70-year-old to be given full-page coverage for their refusal to stop rocking could well be worth a lot more, in credibility if not financial terms, than having had the audience hear the last few bars of Twist and Shout. It would have been great to have heard the audience's tribute to Clarence Clemons in Tenth Avenue Freeze Out one more time, but it's certainly not harmed Bruce's image as a real rock star.

A special mention in the debate about why the organisers pulled the plug should go to the Health and Safety Executive's official response, including: 'It's ironic that this excuse has been used in relation to Bruce Springsteen, who certainly knows what real health and safety is all about - look at the words of 'Factory' from Darkness on the Edge of Town referring to the toll that factory work can take on the health of blue collar workers.' The full response is here: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/record/2012/springsteen160712.htm

Bruce Springsteen, Hyde Park Calling, London, 14 July 2012

Another great set. Bruce opened with a stunning piano-only Thunder Road, which he introduced as the first song he'd played when he first set foot on English soil. Despite the restrained dynamics of the arrangement, the audience was held in rapt attention all through, both singing whole-heartedly and listening intently. We then had the 'standard' run through Badlands, We Take Care of Our Own and Wrecking Ball. And Tom Morello, who'd played earlier in the day, joined Bruce for Death to My Hometown.

Bruce seemed to be particularly thoughtful during the interlude in My City of Ruins, which seemed longer, but more engaging, than in Manchester. Spirit in the Night, which followed, was fun, with a great extended section with Bruce mucking around with Jake, and recalling Clarence.

John Fogerty, who Bruce had joined earlier for Rockin All Over the World, returned the favour, joining Bruce for The Promised Land. John's microphone could have done with being turned up, as we was significantly quieter than Bruce, which was a slight disappointment as otherwise it was a great performance, and the duet vocals were a nice take on the song.

There was then a lovely moment when Bruce called out for a sign to be brought forward, then went down to the front of the audience to collect it. The guy with the sign – for Take 'Em As They Come – had been at shows in Barcelona, Seville, Prague and Paris before the London show and had requested the song at all the shows, which were all listed at the sign. Bruce had great fun, and had a great reaction from the crowd, explaining how the guy had come to Barcelona 'didn't get it there', Seville, 'no song', Prague 'wasn't played then...', Paris 'Still no song... that's a shitload of Euros...'.Bruce said the song was a real obscurity and that hardly anyone would know it (which was a bit odd, given that it's on Tracks), but the band did a really great performance of it, which they'd obviously worked up or been preparing, whether for the sign or not.

Jack of All Trades went down with the crowd, and is clearly a favourite among the new material that many people will be hoping remains a staple in later tours. Bruce then played a great, near-solo Empty Sky. Together with the particularly touching interlude in My City of Ruins, it may have seemed as if Bruce was in quite a sombre mood, but that impression was shattered by a rocking run through Because of the Night (with Nils really shining in his one starring role of the evening, and being rewarded with loud applause at the end of his solo for his efforts), Johnny 99 (given a Seager-Sessions-esque treatment), Darlington County, Working on the Highway, Shackled and Drawn (which remains really great in its live arrangement), Waitin' on a Sunny Day and a crowd-pleasing call-and-response run-through of Raise Your Hand, though few in the audience seemed to know the song, though they were in great voice to accompany Bruce through The River.


Before The Ghost of Tom Joad, Bruce pointed out it would have been Woody Guthrie's 100th birthday, had he lived. Tom Morello again joined Bruce and played a fiery solo, though it didn't quite reach the heights of Nils's Because the Night solo, or Tom's efforts on the Magic tour our in Austin earlier on the Wrecking Ball tour. Tom stayed on stage for both The Rising and Land of Hope and Dreams (the horns on which were really great).

The audience was near-silent during Bruce's long introduction to We Are Alive and his description of messing around in the graveyard with his sister as his mother placed flowers on her mother's graves sent a shiver down the spine. The version of We Are Alive that followed really shone.

Born in the USA, which Bruce has not played for some time in its electric arrangement in London was well received. Bruce left some of the choruses to be boomed heartily by the audience. Alongside his altered vocal lines cutting across the audience's singing in the choruses, it was an effective way of breathing new life into the song. Despite the warm reception given to Born in the USA, the audience went even more wild for Born to Run, and Bruce and the band kept to tempo and energy high through Glory Days and Dancing in the Dark.

 Bruce then pulled out his trump card: Paul McCartney, leaving audience members staring with open mouths and the beaming huge smiles before they launched into a great I saw Her Standing There and a blast through Twist and Shout, including great horn breakdowns and a little detour into La Bamba. The organisers' decision to pull the plug then was very strange: disappointing and completely unnecessary as telling Bruce and Paul what was happening and allowing them to say goodnight would have been an infinitely better way to end the show.

The organisers' short-sightedness and complete failure of imagination or basic common sense certainly did not overshadow a really stunning show and we can hardly complain about being short-changed. The show did, after all include Paul McCartney, Take 'Em As They Come, John Fogerty joining Bruce for The Promised Land and, of course, that great solo piano take on Thunder Road to open, taking us right back to 1975...

The View, Koko, London, 26 June 2012

A really good, lively show. There were some really fun takes on the older songs, including an especially loose Face for the Radio.

The View often sound like they are hammering in through irreverent covers of lost classics, such is the joyful, wild abandon with which they blast through the songs. The new songs more than held their own, and made us exciting about a new album we didn't even know was coming out. Look forward to hearing them again when we're a bit more familiar with them...

Bruce Springsteen, Etihad Stadium, Manchester, 22 June 2012

A really great show on a rainy night in Manchester. Having seen the Austin show at the start of the tour, it was interesting to see an expanded, looser take on the set.

The show started with a solid, but fairly straight, run-through Badlands, No Surrender, We Take Care of Our Own, Wrecking Ball, Death to My Hometown and My City of Ruins. It then shifted gear with lively takes on Spirit in the Night and E Street Shuffle and Nils proved a more than sufficient replacement for Tom Morello on Jack of All Trades. From there, the show really took off.

The drums of Atlantic City shot out and were greeted enthusiastically by the crowd. The 'Meet me tonight...' section built exactly as it does on the Live in New York City version, and was helped by the superior sound compared to its outing on the Magic tour in London. Atlantic City's folky instrumentation, martial beat and economic hard-times lyrics chimed perfectly with the Wrecking Ball material, especially Easy Money and Death to My Hometown.

There were then scattered knowing smiles and beaming faces as Roy and Max struck up the backing for the '78 intro of Prove It All Night. A couple of people nearby were obviously a bit puzzled ('Presumably he'll be playing a song soon...'), but the intro really rocked and the version of Prove It All Night that followed was first class, with Nils doing his 'solo of the night' trick with added spins thrown in

Bruce then did pointed two fingers to his chest to call the 'visible' Two Hearts, which ran almost straight into You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch), including a little near-spoken-aside about premium rate phone lines, and a fun Darlington County. Jake really nailed the sax break in Darlington County and Bruce ran down to the crowd for some great interaction during it.

Shackled & Drawn seemed to start slowly and with a slight limp compared to the Austin take, but after the first chorus it really took off, ending with a great soul duet. Waitin' on a Sunny Day feels much more alive and fun with the horn section than it has on the past couple of tours.

We then had a little breather and Bruce introduced Save My Love as something left off Darkness on the Edge of Town for being too happy, and which he'd had specially requested. It started off quite sparse, but built really effectively and the extended ending, compared with the album version, was great.

The band then left the stage and Bruce walked over to the piano and introduced his solo The Promise as another request (I wonder if the requester specified that version!). Although there was chatter round the stadium during the song, it was a really intense highlight of the show and was greeted with huge applause at the end. Having a double-whammy of two of my favourite, and rarely played, Bruce songs was a real treat and a great highlight of the show.

Steve then came and stood by Bruce with his black 12-string and The River had almost the whole stadium singing every word. The cameras fixed on several tear-filled faces and even Bruce may have been taken back by the heartfelt reaction from the crowd.

The Rising, Out in the Street and Land of Hope and Dreams were well-received and created a strong end to the main set, although Land of Hope and Dreams fell slightly between the Live in New York and Wrecking Ball (and Austin) versions and suffered slightly for neither being one nor the other.

The band simply gathered and bowed before starting the 'encore' section. Bruce strummed and talked as he introduced We Are Alive. The sound was quite not clear enough for him to silence the slightly restless and wet crowd enough to all listen carefully to his introduction, but the song itself went down well with the crowd.

The crowd sang every word of Thunder Road and the horn assisted ending was fabulous. We then had a great fun party for thousands as the band ripped through Born to Run, Bobby Jean, Cadillac Ranch and Dancing in the Dark.

Bruce climbed onto the piano for the introduction of Tenth Avenue Freeze-out, stripping down to his t-shirt and really wrestling to take his rain- and sweat-soaked shirt off. The screened images after 'big man' line in Tenth Avenue Freeze-out were really affecting. Where in Austin, the silence and applause seemed a spontaneous reaction, the pictures seemed a great way to translate that to a stadium setting. Twist and Shout and its smidgen of Louie Louie was a great, fun way to finish as the repeated 'ah...ah...'s built and built.

During Twist and Shout trumpet player tripped as he came down to the front, which looked pretty painful, but he seemed Ok. Bruce was in stitches as he had to hold the trumpet microphone in place, saying 'I have never seen that happen before.' Once it was clear the guy was ok, it was a funny little diversion.

Overall, the Manchester gig was the best stadium show I've seen since The Rising tour (it doesn't seem fair to compare it with the O2 arena show or the Austin theatre gig where the acoustics are so much better). The sound was good, though Roy was pretty quiet, and the crowd really enjoyed it despite the driving rain that came down at times - Bruce said before Waiting on a Sunny Day that he wanted to do it quickly before the rain started again. Overall a really good show with some stunning moments.

The Vaccines, Field Day, London 2 June 2012

The crowd were really hyped before The Vaccines came on, and their slight delay on stage built up excitement. They opened with a strong new song, then launched into Wrecking Ball. They sprinkled several other new songs, including Teen Idol and Bad Mood, among songs from their first album, which they played in its entirety. The new songs were very much of a piece with their older material, though sounded a bit more Ramones-esque than they have before. The familiar songs were greeted like old friends by the crowd and really hammered out by the band. All In White, in particular, was really storming. They closed with a rattle through Norgard, which was a great way to top off our Field Day day.

Afrocubism, Field Day, London, 2 June 2012

Great 12-piece band from Mali and Cuba. They had the whole tent dancing with a mix of Staff Benda Bilili and Buena Vista, and a touch of Tinariwen. It appeared that all the long-haired men from London were in the tent to see them.

R. Stevie Moore, Field Day, London, 02 June 2012

On stage with a full band, making for a different experience from the set we saw at SXSW.

The set was full of great grungey bluesy alt rock with driving rhythms.

Two other highlights were his flip up sunglasses, allowing him to look rock'n'roll and see what he was doing, and being joined on stage by Tim Burgess on red tambourine and vocals.

Crocodiles, Field Day, London, 02 June 2012

This was good-ole Stones rock'n'roll played with an early-90s Madchester swagger and 1968 garage-rock guitars.

They sounded like Jesus and Mary Chain marrying Elastica. Two backing singers swayed coolly along throughout. The bassist and drummer were the real stars though as they formed a great little rhythm section driving everything on. A fun show.

The strange dream of seeing the Boss at SXSW

Having been keeping up with the progress of Bruce Springsteen's Wrecking Ball tour as it moves through the US, and having listened to the Harlem Apollo show, I keep thinking back to how strange an experience it was to see him at SXSW.

The fact that tickets were distributed in a ballot gave the occasion and the memory of it a strange tinting  The decision to announce that the concert was to be played was a definitely a good one. To know that Bruce was in town with no dates fixed would have set the SXSW rumour mill into overdrive and led to far too much rushing into obscure acts hoping for a 'special guest appearance', and no doubt many acts puzzled by the audience they faced and audiences frustrated if a rumoured appearance came to nothing.

But knowing Bruce was playing on Thursday evening, and that he was likely to be doing so at the ACL Moody Theatre given the gaping hole in the schedule then, gave a certain piece of mind. The fact that tickets were to be allocated by a ballot, rather than having to rise at an unearthly hour in the vain hope of gaining a ticket was also good news – it took the matter out of our hands.

But the ballot-allocation system also meant that we all hugely managed our expectations. We expected not to win tickets. We expected to hear second-hand how amazing the full E Street Band show in a tiny theatre was. We expected to have to make other plans for the evening. So receiving the '… Winner!' email was rather overwhelming.

The single-ticket ballot system also meant that, bar from a few people in large groups (and Broken Biscuit Records four-strong ballot-entry contingent was not large enough) the audience was filled with people who did not know one another. Admittedly, we were in the US, so everyone was talking to their neighbours before the show started. But there was little opportunity to reflect on the show as it unfurled, or to share it afterwards, other than in the most general terms.

That's certainly not to say that I would have wanted it any other way (except, of course, for my friends to have won too), or that I think any other way of allocating tickets would have been better, but the system did make the concert a strangely unique experience.

Not knowing until 10 hours beforehand that you are going to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in a tiny theatre and then not being able to talk about the experience in any real depth means that,in thinking back on the concert, it feels almost as if it was a strange dream. A wonderful dream of unusual vividness, but a strange one.

Ten discoveries from SXSW 2012 by Broken Biscuit Records – with links to official free listening

Alabama Shakes 

After this blinding rock, country, blues and roll set, we are now excited about the prospect of seeing Alabama Shakes again, No doubt that'll be in a much bigger venue or on a huge festival stage, so  a real treat to see them as the buzz around them built at SXSW. Review Myspace alabamashakes.com

Band of Skulls 

Their thundering blues rock provided a much needed wake-up to our jet-lagged bodies. They were part of a set of   trong female-fronted acts at SXSW this year, across a great variety of musical genres – go girls! They played a quality and loud rock set without the pomposity, silliness or machismo that often comes with hard rock shows. Though they were new to us, we probably didn't need to travel 5,000 miles to see them in Austin when they live 50 miles away. Review Soundcloud

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah 

SXSW isn't all about rock and roll and it was about time to get some dancing in when we saw Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's.lively, up-tempo, Hot-Chip-ish pop, punk and roll. They had everyone up and dancing like ravers. The band were new to us, an over sight we well now rectify. Review Soundcloud

Crooked Fingers 

A great opportunity to put some sort of persceptive on a band we knew bits and pieces by. They stood out in a strong line-up at Frank's and Sleep All Summer was a stunning highlight Review Soundcloud

Kimya Dawson 

What a treat! The Daniel Johnston night was truly special and was a highlight. We were already fond of Kimya's songs and she is an engaging live performer. Her songs are witty, clever , honest, and unprententious. She ended the set with 'Same Shit/Complivated' which really captivated the audience in its long, winding stream of thought. Review  Soundcloud kimyadawson.com

The Dunwells 

A really enjoyable set - well-constructed and well-rounded, particularly for a new band (and for one of the British bands, who don't always have as polished sets as their US peers). Everyone in Latitude pricked their ears up and was won round by the band's on-stage charm - one to keep an eye on. Review Myspace  Soundcloud1 Soundcloud2

Howler 

The secret of many great bands is that they make you want to be part of thier gang. The infectious spirit of Howler's tunes was exciting and energetic, rather like seeing the View for the first time. Review Myspace Soundcloud

Michael Kiwanuka 

Michael had a tricky task playing to an audience mostly waiting to see the Alabama Shakes. He held the packed room to rapt attention with his beautiful soulful singing and easy charm. All around, people were asking who he was as the set unrolled. He definitely won a room of new fans that afternoon. Review
Soundcloud Myspace

Lost Lander

Our expectations, largely driven by the band's SXSW biography, were blown from the moment Lost Lander walked onto the stage. Whatever we were expecting, we got some beautiful and serene electro-pop. Review Soundcloud

 

We Were Promised Jetpacks 

They were so good that the girl in front of us fainted at the climax of their set. The band gave us their all - The singer and guitarist were bright red in the face by the end from all the exertion. It was well worth their efforts, though, as this was a cracking set. Review Soundcloud Myspace

Seemingly effortless talent

Frank Turner shares something a particular characteristic with a few really good acts, particularly Gaslight Anthem, the band that first led us to him when we saw him supporting them back in 2009. What he does seems to be so simple that you'd expect there would be hundreds of people doing it. After seeing Mr Turner play, you immediately think there should be hundreds of young-ish men knocking out catching punk-style songs on acoustic guitars. And then you realise that it really isn't that simple, and that he's simply making something rather tricky it look very easy.

That then brings to mind a long list of artists who seem to have missed out on their due widespread, and lasting, public recognition because the skill and beauty of their talent has gone under-appreciated as a result of the apparent ease with which they generate beautifully crafted pop songs (in huge contrast from artists who make the very most of their talents, such as Jon Bon Jovi). And this pool of artists who have gone under-appreciated because they made it look to easy contains some wonderful luminaries, Buffalo Tom and Teenage Fanclub to Smudge and Ryan Adams, and maybe even Glen Hansard. . 

The seeming effortless with which Mr Turner produces songs that really grab people's hearts certainly seems to be working for him at the moment, and I hope it stays that way. Hard craft at songwriting should not need to be showy and on-display to be appreciated.

SXSW 2012: six stunning sets from artists who'd already won our hearts

1. Glen Hansard, hungover from over-indulgence in his excitement at seeing Bruce Springsteen the night before, spun a web of wonderment to close the Paste party on Friday afternoon. His natural charm drew the whole room into rapt attention. His top-notch originals and long, winding covers, including both Springsteen's 'Drive All Night' and Van Morrison's 'Astral Weeks' with superb support from Jake Clemons were spine-tingling. A truly magical set. Read the immediate Broken Biscuit Records reaction here.

2. Jesse Malin played a great acoustic set at Cedar Street Courtyard, blasting through his hits, either fired up or slightly rattled by the idea of playing a 'posh' show to badge-holders, rather than the festival-goers at large. Some of the acoustic arrangements worked better than others. A few songs felt as we were missing the electric guitars (in a similar way to Pearl Jam's Unplugged session feels a lot like the electric arrangements are being played out on acoustic instruments with little of the forethought shown at Pearl Jam's later Bridge School benefit shows). But others were really effective and it was great to see the closing 'Cigarettes and Violets' in such an intimate setting. Here is what we thought straight after the show.

3. Frank Turner really won over the audience with his show at Latitude. Although many of those nearer the front were clearly already fans, the crowd spilling into the street clearly contained many who were simply curious to see what the fuss was about. Either the set or Frank's newer material feels much more American than the songs he was playing back in 2009 when we first saw him. Either way it went down well with the US members of the audience. At the moment, he's certainly reaping the rewards, though. At the beginning of the show, and he may have been half joking, he said he'd planned to play a whole slab of new material in the set, but that after seeing Future of the Left, he'd decided to hammer through the hits, and it certainly worked very well. Read the immediate Broken Biscuit Records reaction here.

4. Bob Mould played a great set at Frank's. Knowing some of his Sugar tunes and a smattering of Husker Du material, it was great to hear him rattle off song after song from his back catalogue, as well as bits from his new album. The show was a great way to connect with a classic artist who we'd hadn't yet got to know properly. The Broken Biscuit Records post-show reaction is here.

5. The Wedding Present performance at the Paste party was another great way to learn about a classic band that had previously escaped our notice. The wry, romantic tales in their songs and great band interplay were a real revelation. Here is what we thought straight after the show

6. Last and very much not least, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band warrant the most prominent mention for a blistering performance at the ACL Moody Theatre. The new material from Wrecking Ball thundered with the addition of the augmented E Street Band. The horn section added huge brushes of colour and the rumble beneath Max Weinberg's drums gave a real depth to the sound, while the theatre's intimacy and acoustics allowed us to pick out each musician's contribution.

And then there were the guests... The mini Jimmy Cliff set (The Harder They Come, Time Will Tell and Many Rivers to Cross) was marvellous and a real celebration. Tom Morello hauled out impressive performances of his solos on the Wrecking Ball album (and may well leave fans wondering who will set into his shoes on later dates in the tour) and seeing his solo on the electrified The Ghost of Tom Joad in the flesh was truly magical.

For those who had been enthralled by Bruce's keynote speech in the morning in which he admitted his lifelong debt to the Animals, it was a special pleasure to see Bruce's genuine delight in telling how he'd been told Eric Burdon was in town and had hooked up to play with him. And then the huge finale with Arcade Fire, the Low Anthem, Alejandro Escovedo and Joe Ely really capped things off perfectly. Here is our immediate post-show reaction to the close-up Bruce experience

Jukebox the Ghost, Swan Dive, Austin, 17 March 2012, SXSW 2012

Great piano pop-rock in the mould of Ben Folds, Elton John, Keane, ELO or Scouting for Girls. They did a really fun set, including a cover of 'I wanna dance with somebody' as the penultimate track.

Typhoon, Swan Dive, Austin, 17 March 2012, SXSW 2012

An impressive nine-piece band: two violins, two guitars, bass, two trumpets, ukelele and drums. A fun live band, with the trumpets and drums and vocals that were a bit Counting Crows.

Other SXSW 2012 reviews:

Rhett Miller, Paste party, Stage at Sixth, 16 March 2012, SXSW 2012
D/R/U/G/S, Latitude, Austin, 17 March 2012, SXSW 2012
Joe 'King' Carrasco, Skinny's Ballroom
Howler, Bar 96, Austin, 15 March 2012, SXSW 2012
The Love Language, Frank, 16 March 2012, SXSW 2012
Kimya Dawson, Belmont

Lost Lander, Swan Dive, Austin, 17 March 2012, SXSW 2012

A lovely set. Icy keyboard parts and plucked guitar lines, with big thunderous, pounding, spacious drums created some great dynamics and some powerful driving rhythms. The male and female voices melded together well and they had solid songs.Some rocking guitar solos too. And a haunting cover of 'State Trooper', followed by two great, rocking songs. All quite a surprise having read the strange biog on the app.

Other SXSW 2012 reviews:

Rhett Miller, Paste party, Stage at Sixth, 16 March 2012, SXSW 2012
D/R/U/G/S, Latitude, Austin, 17 March 2012, SXSW 2012
Joe 'King' Carrasco, Skinny's Ballroom
Howler, Bar 96, Austin, 15 March 2012, SXSW 2012
The Love Language, Frank, 16 March 2012, SXSW 2012
Kimya Dawson, Belmont

Great Lake Swimmers, Swan Dive, Austin, 17 March 2012, SXSW 2012

Plucked arpeggios, soft harmonies, violin, acoustic guitar and double bass. They played songs off the new album and a lovely Gram Parsons cover.

Other SXSW 2012 reviews:

Alberta Cross, Bar 96, Austin, 15 March 2012, SXSW 2012
Savoire Adore, Swan Dive, Austin, 17 March 2012, SXSW 2012
Dutch Uncles, Latitude, Austin, 17 March 2012, SXSW 2012
Band of Skulls, 14 March 2012, Haven, Austin, SXSW 2012
Imperial Teen, Frank, 16 March 2012, SXSW 2012
Jeffrey Lewis, Belmont