Musically, he’s superb – his acoustic guitar/lap top combination was enhanced by real life cornet and drums, all squeezed on to the tiny stage. Innate musicality is a commodity that’s increasingly overlooked but Duckworth has it in abundance. He also has a very endearing stage presence, despite looking disconcertingly like a sibling of jazz dwarf Jamie Cullum; self-regulating and sometimes self-deprecating in his patter, he chats away like he’s playing for a family party which gives him a great connection with his audience. Now, he’s been compared with Billy Bragg and tagged as folktronica whilst also making it on to Radio 1 as Scott Mills’ record of the week with The Chronicles of a Bohemian Teenager (Part 1). As a result, the crowd was a strange muddle; some there for the message, some for the melodies and some there who’d been directed by fashion. There’s a punctuated simplicity about his work. Brevity is sometimes the key to his songs; good ideas aren’t eroded by repetition, they’re allowed to stand alone. Tunes which could drift into David Grayness are rescued by the injection of irregular breakbeats, squelching basslines and gorgeous brass counter-melodies. He’s a far better live performer than his recorded material may suggest; the live arena giving him the chance to interact and feed off his fellow musicians, rather than his laptop alone. Although engaging, it was a set that at the end of the evening didn’t seem to have made much of an impression. However, three days on and Chronicles is still the song I’m waking up to, with the radio off. Get Cape. Wear Cape. Invade by stealth. | 
