Teddy Thompson & David Ford, The Thekla, Bristol

It was quite a novel feeling to watch a gig in the bowels of a boat. Never mind that it is approximately six foot from shore and indeed still moored, Bristol's Thekla is a cool little venue, and was rammed for the appearance of Teddy Thompson.

The advancing years of many of the audience members suggested that more than a handful of Thompson's followers learnt about him through his parents - folksters Richard and Linda Thompson - and they would perhaps have been pleased enough with his non-threatening, MOR folk-pop. The problem though was that there was a serious lack of dynamism about his set, which made it seem as though it was going on FOREVER, as one moderately pleasant mid-tempo effort followed another. Also, Thompson's lyrics often tend to be somewhat cheesy. His words about a beautiful girl in a beautiful world or whatever, were painful, especially considering that, between songs, his banter offered the perfect dissection of self-deprecation and slight smugness that proved to be genuinely amusing. If he could pour more of this wit into his lyrics, it would add some desperately needed edge.

In complete contrast, support act (and temporary member of Thompson's band) David Ford combined political anger with a sense of bloody-minded romance across a varied set that showcased how one-man, a load of instruments and a loop pedal can make an awesome noise. There were plenty of songs from his latest album, while the bile-fuelled State Of The Union from his debut still bursts with life even after all these years. "What a model of Christian behaviour/Preach on with the message of Go Fuck Thy Neighbour," he spat, as furious and intense as the first time he ever sang it. Elsewhere, lovely piano ballads To Hell With The World and Song For The Road were also highlights in a 45-minute performance which proved, again, that Ford is one of the most underrated performers in England today.

Review by Rob Townsend.

David Ford at The Old Market, Brighton

Amid a credit-crunch and in an era when the music industry is haemorrhaging money, musicians are increasingly having to tighten their belts and go a bit DIY. Not a problem for Eastbourne troubadour David Ford who, with the help of some power-tools and a bit of elbow grease, built his own band for his latest, self-funded tour of the UK. Equally at home playing with just a guitar for company or filling a festival stage with a 14-piece ensemble, this time Ford supplemented a vocal and guitar/piano by utilising his trusty loop pedal and an ingenious remote control drum-kit. Not a drum machine. An actual drum kit, with sticks and everything. It played itself in the corner while Ford controlled it from centre-front.

In keeping with the unusual stage set-up, the evening took on a different dynamic too, with no support act but instead two intimate sets from Ford split by an interval. The old songs were as welcomingly familiar as a pair of comfy trousers. Of them, the vitriolic State of the Union was still as mind-blowing as ever, as Ford slowly and deliberately laid loop atop loop. Song For The Road was sweet, and there was even a surprise nod to his past, as he played a stripped-down version of old Easyworld favourite, Demons.

The two hour set was littered by new, unreleased tracks too and it was these, most notably the beautiful To Hell With The World, that stood out and certainly whetted the appetite for the release of some new material later this year.