Anna Tabbush and Dr Faustus Komedia, Brighton, Wednesday 29 September 2004

Wow: what a gig! I'm glad I decided to go to the Komedia last night instead of continuing to drown an already very emotional and drunken day with more toxic liquid and cigarette fumes at home. Anna Tabbush and Nick played a gorgeous set of songs both traditional and self-written with sweet harmonies and great guitar and fiddle playing. It was the perfect intimate venue for Anna's voice, and she opened with a traditional Scottish folk song sung a capella. She has a lovely warm stage presence, telling stories in a bright and endearing way.


Anna Tabbush and Nick

Dr Faustus are a band and a half - four young men each a multi instrumentalist and strong vocalist. Robert Harbron on English concertina, guitar, bassoon, fiddle; Paul Sartin on fiddle and oboe (amazing), Tim van Eyken on melodeon and guitar. Benji Kirkpatrick was amazing on guitar and bouzouki - he made the bouzouki sound like a percussion and string instrument in one, which gave a really nice texture to the music. With all four playing and singing out they made a really full on sound, quite different to the little English folk I have heard before. A force to be reckoned with. Marvellous. I loved their sense of fun on stage: a relaxed, warm friendship between them all. Silly jokes about the nerdiness of Thomas Hardy manuscript hunting in Dorchester Central Library (that one appealed to me most... oh dear...) and ones that ended in lines like, "I'm a prawn again, Christian". Siiiggggghh! A life affirming evening. Five pounds jolly well spent.