Magic! Laura Marling is a very special artist and this was a great show with a few unexpected twists.  A word first about support bands – Boy and Bear from Australia were interesting, but not terribly memorable.  Alessi’s Ark were good for me!  I like Alessi a lot and was really looking forward to seeing her again, but I’m not sure she went down as well as I’d expected.  I missed part of her first song while coming back from the bar, but soon got into it with renditions of my favourites including ‘The Horse’ and ‘Constellations’ and ‘Hummingbird’. I can’t believe (not sure she could either) that she stopped half way through a song when an audience member coughed loudly … Alessi stopped playing and said ‘Get it all out!’ to much hilarity from the crowd while she dissolved into a fit of the giggles.  I like !

Laura took the stage alone which surprised me when I was expecting her band.  She started with a stirring version of ‘Devil’s Spoke’ and continued with a most of her set on her own.  She explained her drummer was sick, so the band only joined in for a few somgs at the end .  Slightly disappointing not to hear familiar songs with band arrangements, but what a superb performer she is. Vocals perfect, guitar playing really deft and also note perfect.  The stand out song when the band joined in was ‘I Speak Because I Can’.  Not as intimate and memorable a gig, as when we saw her in Tobermory (that would be impossible) but great all the same.

8/11 Attended by George