Reviews

Not that the North-West has ever been short of them but it seems everyone suddenly thinks they have enough talent to make it as a wandering troubadour.

Digital Northerner Vol 3

So Fat Northerner’s decision to collect 14 of them up in their latest compilation could be seen as either a zeitgeist-surfing piece of brilliance or just more musical mulch for the compost heap.

Their selection process means it is much more of the former than the latter. While there are some of the usual suspects popping up here – Isobel Heyworth and Bone-Box both make sturdy offerings – there is also enough of the inventive pioneers and luscious reliables to make it all worthwhile.

Inevitably, it’s the rising star of Liz Green who steals the show with her deliciously retro Midnight Blues, but she’s far from the only highlight. Elsewhere, the dreamy country of Mark Wilson’s Realise, Josephine Oniyama’s twitchy toe-tapper Davey, the bittersweet sunshine of Rachael Kichenside’s Long Time Later and Frankie Teardrop’s bizarre campfire stomp These Are The Days all shine with their own eccentricities.

In fact, only Aron Paul’s peculiar David Essex impression and a drab showing from the usually shimmering Stickboy warrant a reach for the fast-forward button.

So it’s a timely collection and a welcome one. We might be knee-deep in meandering minstrels around these parts but it’s good to know that, around Fat Northerner at least, it hasn’t meant a drop in the quality of the rising minority.