Super-Stage Me

Over the last couple of weeks I've had the great pleasure of watching our rising talents on big stages. Thanks to ATL and the Ulster Hall, we saw the likes of Cashier No 9, LaFaro, Kowalski and The Panama Kings, playing it boldly to the masses. Then there was the largesse of Snow Patrol, who gave Odyssey support slots to The Lowly Knights, Iain Archer and Duke Special.

Nobody let the side down and all of the audiences were receptive. A special recommendation goes to the Lowly Knights, who were largely unknown last year and who can now haul their 12 members into any situation and thrive. At the Ulster Hall they played a version of 'Something For The Weekend' as the song's author Neil Hannon watched with a pride that was almost parental. The fact that some well-groomed gals were singing the big chorus lines also seemed to cheer him. And at the Odyssey on the first Snow Patrol date, the Knights were joined by Gary Lightbody and Iain Archer, who sang 'You Can Tell A Man By How He Lifts His Hands' with the utmost in feeling.

You can take all this for granted. But these really are exceptional times. Our musical story had been characterised by boom and bust, feast and famine. But for this era, the good times are prevailing, and even improving.