Skilful and beguiling, folk fiddler Peter Knight led the three-piece band 'Gigspanner' for another night of dazzling virtuosity, albeit wrapped in a cloak of casual informality. During the evening concert, held in the Millennium Memorial Hall, Laugharne, Peter showed how many unique and surprising sounds could be produced from a single violin, while Roger Flack (guitar) and Vincent Salzfaas (djembe and congas) provided an engaging backdrop. The large audience, which included all age groups, was taken on a musical journey that included Ireland, Africa, France, Australia and America. Some old favourites were included in the programme, including Peter's song 'Seagull', about the game of shove-penny, which first appeared on Steeleye's 1989 album, Tempted and Tried. The instrumental Butterflies and semi-traditional Tom of Bedlam were in there too, while 'Death and the Lady' had the fiddler drawing dark and exciting tones from an electric viola. Peter joked that nearly all the songs were about death, or people who had died - a common theme in the world of folk music. His voice is light, honest and melodic with a reedy tone. Since the '70s, his voice has changed little, except to convey more meaning. My journey on that rainy evening had been convoluted; I arrived about 45 minutes late, but I had not missed a note of the performance. This was an indication of quite how laid-back Gigspanner are in terms of presentation - they take their time, they keep the beer flowing, they tell stories between the songs, and don't play hard to get during interval time. By adopting the same approach to their albums, they make sure it's all really worth a listen before it's published. And of course, there's always the Gigspanner guarantee: "If you buy one of our CDs, and later find you don't like it, send it back to us and we'll send you a CD we don't like!"

PATRICK OVENDEN