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Thinking back it was a far-sighted decision of trendy record label 4AD to release a recording by this ever-shifting Bulgarian acapella folk choir back in 1986, as it became a huge international success, and was the catalyst for their continual presence at concert halls around the globe. Part of the charm, I’m sure, is the mystery of Bulgaria itself, and this ensemble does little to dispel this – their voices imparting an otherworldliness that seems to take in little bits of Arabia, North African and European folk; complex vocal arrangements, that takes traditional music as the foundation and elaborates on that with changes in texture, tempo and intensity. The vocal dexterity of all members of the choir was transfixing throughout, gaining a deserved standing ovation at the end.

Concert Hall, Brighton Dome, 1 November
Rating:
Jeff Hemmings

The Guillemots are a bit of a curio – intelligent, grown up pop for an older audience almost from day one, they have perhaps surprisingly became a relative success. Much of that down to the clever positioning of the band (eg, support slots with Rufus Wainwright), and some sumptuous and grandiose production work on their records, as well as the often excellent songwriting abilities of lead man Fyfe Dangerfield. But tonight’s show, despite the best efforts of the band was mired in a dense sound and hampered by the lack of atmospherics. However, it’s good to see The Old Market back in action for live gigs, and I reckon before long it will be a venue of choice for discerning punters.

The Old Market, 31 October
Rating:
Jeff Hemmings

It was a solid collection of a dozen comics that assembled to compete for three places in the next round of the Loaded Lafta awards, all with a fair amount of gigging experience already in the bag on the new act circuit and with a steadiness on stage that varied, but never went below confidently capable. Adam Hess, winner of this year’s Student Chortle Award, surprised no one when his wild kinetic energy and positively purging of oneliners won him one of the coveted places, and the contrastly deliberately slow and Milton Jones-esque stylings of Pete Beckley was just as much a cert for a place. With the rest being of a suitable calibre to leave the last place wide open in a good way (with only a couple of notable exceptions) Mark Cooper-Jones swooped in to snatch the final place with his quietly-elite-chap-Patririck-Moore-with-punchlines persona and likability. A good showcase for several faces and names to watch in comedy.

Komedia Studio, 31 October
Rating:
Victoria Nangle

Director: Andrew Niccol

There’s this alternative society, right? One where you only get to live to a certain age – stop us if you’ve heard this before. It preserves a youthful and beautiful society. So far so Logan’s Run of 1976.
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