If you don’t know this eleven piece eclectic folk BIG band , you soon will!  Live folk music has never been so exciting since Richard and Linda Thompson were at their peak. Bellowhead’s big London show was filmed for a live DVD which I for one will be buying.

Glamourous female MC Tamzin (as seen on their 2006 album BELLOWHEAD’s cover), opened proceedings with the two excellent support acts, Chris TT and Jim Moray. Chris TT performs two original story songs about motorways, the first concerning a hedgehog.  He has strong political views a la Billy Bragg which may not go down well with everyone, but he’s very entertaining and well intentioned.

Jim Moray, with a three piece band tonight, gave a typically compelling performance. This highly talented singer from Birmingham was backed by Nick Cooke (melodeon) and James Delarre (violin), together with a bass player.  It was my second performance by Moray that week, having seen them at the wonderful new Maidstone venue, maverick@zebrabar.  Moray plays piano and guitar, performing mainly traditional songs. Poverty knock is a highlight of his set, played solo at piano. The chorus  "I know I can guttle when I hear me shuttle go poverty overty knock" is particularly memorable.

Following a long introduction by the masked MC (not long enough judging by the reaction of men in front of the stage), Bellowhead  finally appeared. Winners of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Best Live Band and described in Mojo as “a thrilling frenzy”  – I could not agree more.  They play more than twenty instruments including bagpipes and six of them sing but its mainly left to the highly imposing figure of Jon Boden.  He’s introduced jokingly as the “shy and retiring” Jon Boden – nothing could be further from the truth!  When not singing, he plays fiddle along with three other fiddle players.

Formed in 2004 by the duo John Spiers (melodeon) and Boden, the band has a four piece brass section that stands to stage left with the string section to the right. . There’s a frying pan amidst the drummer/ percussionist Pete Flood’s armoury together with a stomp box and wind up toys!  The brass players enjoy showing off their dancing skills to many of the songs and the urge to join them is immense.

Described on their website as  "a huge heaving heterophony”, Bellowhead inject new life into the folk scene – purists may not like their indie band influences but so what? Their name means "texture resulting from simultaneous performances of melodic variants of the same tune. Sometimes together, sometimes different."  They offer traditional and orginal ballads, sea shanties, epic tales, "rigs", and "jigs.

East Anglian step dance song Sloe gin demonstrates fully the band’s considerable talents. The focus changes throughout from the brass to the string section. The sloe, or blackthorn, is a wild ancestor of the plum in case you were wondering  London Town is another highlight – a rollicking traditional romp, made more enjoyable for Boden teaching us the lyrics to the chorus beforehand.  I was still singing “ Up to the rigs, down to the jigs, of London town “ on my way back to the tube.

Fiddle player Paul Sartin is quite a character. He recently completed a Masters degree in traditional music at Newcastle University, having worked extensively in English choral music in Oxford and Winchester.

First encore was Jordan, another popular singalong on the American minstrel movement taken from their only full length album to date. Cellist Rachel McShane came to centre stage to perform this one together with Boden.

Note for completists like me : they also have a five track EP, EP ONYMOUS that came out in 2004 – short it may be, but it does comprise another glorious 25 minutes of Bellowhead music. See them live when you can!  David Ogden