Sitting within a stone’s throw of Camden Town tube station as it does the Jazz Café is the ideal venue for a work night gig so, despite a high frequency of office hangovers in the last couple of weeks, the chance to see '90s hip hop legends Blackalicious gets me happily out of the house on a cold February night and on the train to North London with a beer in my hand. We got there well in time for openers Dizraeli and DJ Downlow, who bring some South West hype with a set of energetic and innovative UK hip hop to get the crowd moving from the start. A packed crowd it is too; and one happy to get involved as the duo meld styles and switch up tempos with seemingly boundless enthusiasm. These guys have been on people’s lips for a couple of years now and I can see why, definitely ones to watch…

The energy is kept going by some well-chosen sounds from the Lifesavas’ Jumbo, with him and bandmate Vursatyl clearly playing an essential part of the Blackalicious live experience. After a short set from Vursatyl they are joined on stage by the headliners and the four feed off the crowd’s and each other’s energy to tear the fucking roof off! Taking cuts from their previous three records as well as their long awaited new release, they don’t let the crowd shy away from participation and to be honest the sold out room wouldn’t have it any other way, shouting their heads off whenever the opportunity is offered. Gift of Gab is a consummate frontman with a mastery of high speed flow and a unique deliverance that comes across even more strongly in person than on record, while Chief Xcel’s turntabling takes a subtle approach that is nevertheless a vital part of the whole.

Laid back, jazzy beats perfect for a view of the night heavily infused with dank are peppered with rapid fire freestyles, in a set heavy on classics such as ‘Deception’, ‘Blazing Arrow’, ‘First in Flight’ and ‘Chemical Calisthenics’. Their vibe is infectious and if you aren’t moving in some way you’re probably clinically dead, with the intimate setting of the Jazz Café the perfect platform for a set like this. We might be stuck in a grey London February, but for a night we are transported to a California idyll of sun and sensi. After the final encore has come and gone and the cheers have died down, I head out into the winter’s night with PMA fully set up for the week ahead.

At Musos’ Guide we’re fans of all types of music and this evening is no different. Arriving early we’re there in time for tonight’s second band Southern, a brother and sister duo hailing from Ireland. We’re noticing a distinct theme of Irish siblings on the bill tonight, as Hudson Taylor are also brothers.

Southern are fairly inoffensive, with their Americana-infused folk-pop, it's pleasant if not a little contrived and clichéd. That said there is little at fault here, they’re both excellent musicians and the band are tight it just lacks a little in originality.

Successful in this evening's aim in warming the crowd up, Southern exit and following an almost instantaneous changeover, Hudson Taylor take to the stage; a huge ‘HT’ emblazoned behind them in bright lights, this packed crowd goes wild for the two brothers who are still yet to release an album.

With their debut release not due until the 30th of March, this year is set to be huge for the band. This almost seems like a final hurrah around the smaller venue circuit, as they prepare for much bigger things, allowing us to slip firmly in to the mindset that this is quickly going to become one of those “I was there” moments.

It’s quite clear to see that the crowd have a divided interest with many favouring one brother over the other. Alfie seems to be the more popular of the two, as he swaggers around the stage, as Harry plays a more laid-back roll, though both are excellent musicians.

Their set packed with energy, their style easily likened to Mumford and Sons and the like. There are a number of tracks that pique our interest throughout the evening; the obvious being ‘Battles’, its Americana-infused folk vibe enough to make anyone at least tap their feet.

Similarly ‘Weapons’ tones the set down a little but this allows their excellent song writing skills, the composition of the track is beautiful. It goes some way to highlight the intensity of the lyrics, almost uncharacteristically in a set so packed with energy. Part of us wishes the whole set was like this as Alfie and Harry’s talents are exposed and the power of that tops any overzealous folk pop.

At complete odds with ‘Weapons’ is ‘Chasing Rubies’ which provokes a huge crowd reaction. And rightly so. This track to us has a bit of both Hudson Taylor’s dual facets. Yet to us also, there is a little something lacking. We’re sure it melted every single heart in tonight’s audience but we preferred the more stripped back elements on offer.

It’s plain to see from the outset, that these guys are fast on the up, and small venues are soon to be a thing of the past. ‘Chasing Rubies’ is bound to become a festival anthem this summer, we’re positive you’ll hear it throughout the campsites of the mud stricken festival landscapes. We may not be completely sold on these guys, but we can certainly see their great points.

Eighties art-pop badass, Neneh Cherry enters stage right in Camden’s Electric Ballroom, dancing and spitting guttural, animal shrieks. She is poised and deliberate, but at the same time displaying the same wild abandon she displayed on her 1989 debut, Raw Like Sushi. Hair flying as she dances around to lead single from 2014’s Blank Project, ‘Out of the Blue’ or bouncing up and down to the one-two club beat of ‘Weightless’, Neneh Cherry is an unstoppable force. Performing (almost) exclusively material from 2014’s Kieran Hebden-produced new album, with her relentless optimism, honeyed voice and some pretty feral dance moves, Neneh Cherry is most definitely a woman to be reckoned with.

Far from a retro rehash of her brash heyday, Blank Project album is as current as you would expect with Hebden on production and Grammy winning, Britney Spears-enthusiast Robyn guesting on vocals, combined with electronic power bros rocketnumbernine on drums and keys. The album is propeller-beat jazz/dance bedrock underneath snap-crackle vocals and one-two couplets. But although the dubby dance of Blank Project sounds aeons away from the brat-sass of Cherry’s earlier work, the same undercurrent still runs through it. Whether it’s the sinister, slow drawl of ‘Spit Three Times’ or the references to her menstrual cycle on that album’s title track (‘On the twenty-eighth day/He is my victim’), Cherry’s lyrics carry a power and urgency that is unmistakably her. Blank Project is new Neneh, and just like 2012’s collaboration with Scandi-jazz trio, The Thing, it sounds like a continuation of a style as well as a clean slate. There is still a distinctive Neneh Cherry running through her work for all the decades she’s been making music (four by the way, thanks for asking).

In an era when pop stars are accepting more of a commitment to feminism is necessary to effect a change, it’s sometimes nice to be reminded that women in popular music kicked ass a fair amount of time before Beyoncé performed at the VMAs. And to be honest the person to remind us that, is probably the woman who performed on Top Of The Pops in her third trimester, won a BRIT award and then melted it down to make herself some jewellery.

Halfway through the gig, Cherry exclaims, ‘Ok we’re going to get a bit old school now’ before getting changed onstage into hi-tops and launching into her 1989 hit, ‘Manchild’. One is struck by the realisation that the passing of time seems to not have any meaning for Neneh Cherry, a woman who took some time off to hang out with her kids and then got unapologetically back into music a decade later, just because that’s what people do. As the night ends, Cherry and the brothers Page return to the stage for an encore, and with her declamation ‘I’m 51 this year… this song is 25 years old’, the force that is Neneh Cherry performs an electronic, arpeggiated version of ‘Buffalo Stance’ to a rapturous crowd. And she does not give a fuck. Here’s to Neneh Cherry.

Lichfield Cathedral, a sold out audience, and an established folk rock band of international standing were the main ingredients in a successful concert when Lichfield Arts presented Fairport Convention at the historic venue.

Support for the evening was provided by guitarist Kevin Dempsey and fiddle player Rosie Carson, who played a number of instrumental pieces and songs, with dexterous and muscular rhythms contrasting the delicate melodies, the highlight of which was 'The Last Train/Frank’s Tune'. For their final number 'All For You' they were joined by the five members of Fairport Convention, who powered the mid-paced ballad with some fine close harmony singing and rousing guitar,bass,drums and fiddles.

Since forming in 1967, Fairport Convention have blended folk music, songs and styles with a rock orientated sound and stage presentation, and have attracted some of the finest players and writers into their ranks. With alumni including such figures as Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, Ashley Hutchings and Dave Swarbrick, they have led from the front, their sound, although based in tradition, adapting with technology and modern times to provide a show that is vibrant and relevant.

The current line-up of lead vocalist and guitarist Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg on bass, violinist Ric Sanders, Chris Leslie on lead vocals, fiddle, bouzouki, banjo, harmonica, whistle and mandolin and Gerry Conway on percussion and drums sell out venues throughout the country, and on an international level.

This tour was in support of their most recent release, Myths and Heroes and it is testament to the ensemble’s integrity that they continue to release new material that is of equal quality to their back-catalogue. Fairport Convention has always been a popular live draw, which was proven by the strong support that they managed to attract to this concert.

The concert started with 'Sir Patrick Spens', which was well received and an energetic starter to the set, but the next track, 'Myths and Heroes', the title track from their new release was full of almost punkish energy, and finely crafted, Beach Boy quality harmonies , whilst 'Clear Water' was an energetic, and tuneful ballad that featured some fine singing and instrumental interplay.

'Around the Wild Cape Horn' was a sea song, whilst the first set closer, the banjo powered and filigree 'Bring Me Back my Feathers' showed the band at their best.

The second half of the concert was equally packed, but the long song introductions at points diluted some of the energy, but from a purely musical viewpoint, the ease that Fairport Convention has with their loyal fans is plain to see.

The sonic adventure of  the band was shown to good effect during 'The Flyde Mountain Song', and 'The Wassail Song' was an upbeat song with a toe-tapping beat. However, the best audience reactions were saved for the group’s older material, with 'Matty Groves' in particular being well received.

The inevitable encore of 'Meet on the Ledge', where Fairport were joined by Kevin Dempsey and Rosie Carson was a song about the passage of time and friendship, and was a more than fitting end to the concert.