It has to be said Gateshead Old Town Hall, is a truly special venue, seldom few bands seem to play here which always leaves us slightly bemused. However, this evening the venue is awash with anticipation as we hurry in, given that its been a particularly difficult trek to the venue this evening with the impending Great North Run.

We take our seats just in time for the lights to go down as Gruff Rhys makes his way to the stage, introducing the prelude to his set, a short film setting the scene with an introduction to John Evans. Gruff follows this by plotting John Evans journey, first to London and beyond.

Every track features a particularly interesting story to accompany it, this evening goes to prove that Gruff Rhys is a multi-talented man. Not only is he a lyrical genius he’s a comedian, storyteller and all round nice guy. Tracks like ‘Lolo’ and ‘Welcome to the Wilderness’ stand out from his newest long player American Interior.

They’re amply supported by a variety of tracks including ‘Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru,’ ‘Shark Ridden Waters’ and a personal favourite of ours ‘Sensations in the Dark.’ This evening is perfectly crafted, it flows brilliantly, accompanied by impressive visuals and some of the best stage banter around. This is so much more than your average set, this is so much more of an experience. To top the evening off Gruff plays another favourite of ours in the form of ‘Candylion’ from the album of the same name.

This evening is made that little bit more enchanting by the appearance of the original John Evans character used in a variety of the images displayed this evening. The Felt Lady who created him currently has an exhibition at the Old Town Hall's sister venue The Sage, so we were allowed to see the particularly special creation up close and personal.

We leave the hall spellbound and delighted to have witnessed such a genius in the flesh. A sold out crowd held in the palm of his hand for a little under two hours. A majestic performance from one of the great of UK music so few artists have this power and brilliance.

Opportunities like this in the North East are particularly rare, this evening we take our seats in the humongous Hall One at The Sage Gateshead. As Arc Iris take to the stage we’re somewhat unsure what to expect, Jocie Adams is a former member of one of our favourite bands The Low Anthem, and, named for their beautiful folk rock, Arc Iris have inherited some of this.

However, Arc Iris posses something slightly different and their live set could be likened to that of The Dresden Dolls. At times it won't feel out of place in a cabaret club, that said we’re left completely dumbfounded by the delicacy and beauty of Jocie’s voice. It’s an odd performance to sum up but it’s befitting of tonight’s bill, as we anticipate the arrival of St Vincent.

Prior to her appearance a notice is played out, appealing to the fellow fans of analogue entertainment asking people to refrain from recording and photographing the show. A message similar to that which Kate Bush issued prior to her comeback performances. The reason we mention this is that St Vincent is something of a modern day Kate Bush.

Annie Clark is not your average musical artist, she shuffles on to stage in what has become a typically robotic fashion. The thick synth line of ‘Rattlesnake’ echoes out through this huge venue, despite her sleek appearance Annie owns the stage. Collecting her guitar and she quite literally slays the close of the track.

Already in awe, Clark bursts in to the unbelievably amazing ‘Digital Witness,’ in our eyes, a particularly brave move. We firmly believe this is St Vincent's best track to date, however we are later proved wrong as this ladies talents have no bounds; this evening’s performance nothing short of phenomenal, Annie’s delicate blend of electronics and virtuosic guitar playing providing an excellent balance to the evening.

Annie’s ability to put on a show is fantastic, her choreography is spot on and her stage presence is larger than life. Even her on stage banter is somewhat off the wall, though no less brilliant with her conversing with the audience about how when adults look at one another they imagine them as babies. Leaving us slightly puzzled yet still appreciating the musical genius whom is quite clearly bearing her soul in front of us.

Tracks like ‘Laughing with a Mouth of Blood’ and ‘Surgeon’ stand out above the rest. ‘Actor Out of Work’ is arguably a stand out from her back catalogue too, and once again she brutally slays this crowd at every turn, we’re truly are completely blown away. They close out their set with ‘Bring Me Your Loves’, firmly replaced itself as our favourite St Vincent track.

It sums up what has been an amazing evening, so few artists have the ability to conquer this huge hall and tonight St Vincent approached it from a completely different angle. Once again with audience in complete awe, Annie returns to the stage alone to play ‘Strange Mercy,’ the final facet of this evening's show, as she delivers a final beautifully heart-wrenching track.

We leave the venue filled with amazement, almost unable to comprehend the phenomenal evening we’ve just had, one which will go down as the greatest show we’ve seen in a very long time. So few artists have the stage presence and the music to back it up, bringing it back to our point about the equally wonderful Kate Bush. To us, Annie Clark is definitely a modern day equivalent.  

Static Shock Records are currently cleaning house when it comes to London hardcore gigs, hosting top notch bands from around the world on a regular basis and stoking a fire within the scene in the process. This weekend they outdid themselves with a Camden line-up headlined by the surf-drenched hardcore punk of New Jersey’s Night Birds. I’d seen them smash it a few years before in a Leeds basement and subsequently start to gain a well-deserved bit of recognition with each new tour and release, so their one UK date of the tour wasn’t going to be one to miss. Adding to the carnage, a Sheffield invasion in the form of Detergents and Dry Heaves brings some welcome Yorkshire hype – the Northern hardcore scene has always produced stellar bands, and these bands both carry that tradition on with style. Detergents open proceedings with a crunching UK82 style raucousness that has people moving from the start. No turning up late for this one, the line-up is strong throughout and the early throng shows that people have realised this. No frills punk music that reeks of spit and cider is exactly what’s needed to kick off proceedings nicely, as is the cold beer which loosens my concrete-battered muscles. Dry Heaves have been honing their biting hardcore under the radar for a few years now and, knowing they can draw a crowd in Yorkshire, it’s great to see the same response in London. Everyone is going off, beer is spilling and the band are ripping through songs from their back catalogue interspersed with a good few new tracks which already sound impressively tight, roll on the new record!

Unfortunately due to a pressing need for non-alcoholic sustenance we miss Atomic Suplex and their garage hardcore madness, which I can only imagine to be next level in such a small space, but make it back just as Night Birds thrash into the first chords of full speed surf instrumental ‘Escape from New York’. From then on things are complete chaos; with no time for niceties such as between song banter they blast through what feels like half of their back catalogue like it was one continuous raging beast. Everything is speeded up a notch compared to studio recordings and the result is one of the most intense punk shows your likely to see, an endurance test that both band and audience are very much ready for. While their recordings are incredible, this is a band that needs to be seen live to appreciate in full force. Singer Brian Gorsegner gurns and twitches like a caged lunatic in a Victorian asylum, while the band up the aggression levels as far as they can take them and still maintain that musical tightness which makes each song stand out. The mic spends as much time in the hands of audience as band members, with songs like ‘Modern Morons’, ‘Born to Die in Suburbia’, ‘Prognosis Negative’ ‘Killer Waves’ and ‘Born of Man and Woman’ clearly imprinted on the brains of every person down the front. Nothing quite tops off a solid day’s skateboarding like a good hardcore show - tiredness and aches washed away in a tide of beer and loud, fast music - and this was as good as it gets. Props all round to promoter, bands and crowd, a solid contender for gig of the year!