Laura Cantrell, the Little Theatre in Gateshead. SmallestCub is quite jealous, but has forgiven me because I told him that she didn't sing his favourite - Big Wheel.
Absolutely adorable venue. Got knobbled by the promoter beforehand who was robbing smokes for the guitarist who, I learnt, doesn't like a certain square pizza with a particular cheese on. Support was someone-or-another Smith who I wanted to like but didn't really. Laura Cantrell was superb, as was the thieving guitarist. A handful of old favourites, a generous sprinkling of gems from her new album, and a few (apparently) well known covers. I realised once more the depths of my ignorance as I didn't have a clue about the covers or any of the famous people she told tales of (apart from her gossiping about Amy Rigby and Wreckless Eric, which I knew about cos I went to see them play in a Gateshead pub) or her tales from the Grand Ole Opry or any of that stuff. I have no idea or insight into where she fits into the country hall of fame, I just know that every single note she sang sounded amazing and I could have listened to her for hours 
Aye, it was a good venue.
The support was a bit shonky. Darden Smith, I think he was called, and his mildly unusual name was about the most interesting thing about him. His songs were spectacularly dull, which was only placed into contrast by the quite-entertaining banter between songs. I drifted off into speculation about a situation where his songs would be worth listening to, and found myself imagining a cover of one of his songs by a southern rock band, coming through on a crackly AM band while touring the southern US in a battered old pickup. I think you'll agree, that's quite niche, and I was acutely aware that no drinks were allowed in the auditorium, so I took the opportunity to beat the rush to the bar.
The night's celebrity, Paul Smith from out of Maximo Park, was already there, and I would not have recognised him if the guitarist's gofer hadn't pointed him out earlier. It was pretty easy to spot him and his girlfriend - apart from me and CL, they were probably the only people in the venue under 50 who weren't there with their parents. I had him guard CL's beer while I nipped out for a smoko.
I hadn't had chance to see Laura Cantrell before - I was skint when I first listened to her, and she hasn't toured for eight years. So I wasn't sure what to expect, but she was amazing. There was a Gillian Welch and David Rawlings vibe about the set-up, bloke on guitar and woman on vocals and rhythm guitar who clearly takes the lead, but without the bluegrass homeliness. Laura's references are either "classic" country, or slightly twee indie. I'm familiar with the latter (Camera Obscura, and the winderfully-monikered Franklin Bruno, who I was amazed to learn is an actual person called Franklin Bruno and not a band with a jokey reference to the boxer), not a fan of the former, but she manages to take all the good bits from her country references, strip it down and add a bit of modern bite with the lyrics, a hint of knowingness. As well as the slight indie leanings. She also has the same schtick as someone like Rich Hall, which is to be able to explain something thoroughly American to a British audience.
Mark, the guitarist, was good, too - he filled in the gaps in sound which weren't being taken by Laura's voice, and knew his place. He was far better on stage than in person, though thanks to him I now know that, for example, the Monsanto plant in St Louis is next to the dog food factory. I did tell him to get to work at one point, but he was pretty relaxed about that - I saw him chatting to some other random punters inside.
He was relaxed with good reason, as the sound was excellent. Clean and crisp and made the best of Laura's voice. I was never concerned that drinks weren't allowed into the auditorium, it was as good as that.
A quick google also tells me that Laura Cantrell's Radio Thrift Shops on New York's WFMU have been archived on the internet. Despite being a wonderful live performer, she clearly has other careers going alongside, which helps to explain her lack of relentless touring schedules. I'll forgive her.
http://wfmu.org/playlists/RT[I wrote a much better review, but most of it was lost when I clicked on one of those links, and it decided to close my browser, as it's been that long since I used RealPlayer]
