The audience at Narberth's Queens Hall were treated to a musical evening of the highest quality on Friday when young singer-songwriter Jodie Marie topped the bill.

First act of the evening was Caroline Harrison, who performed songs from her forthcoming E.P. Her powerful, melodic voice is reminiscent of Sarah McLachlan; her influences include Amy MacDonald, Adele and Ed Sheeran. Each song was simply accompanied by her own guitar. Highlight of her performance was 'Beyond the Darkened Sky', an impassioned song which surpassed the more upbeat studio version and was further enhanced by lighting effects.

When MC Declan Connelly (Span Arts) introduced the next act, a band from Cardiff, he almost forgot their name - a general cause for laughter - but their performance would not easily be forgotten.

The group was The Winter Villains, a surprising, harmonious fusion of folk, classical, rock and psychedelia. Their sound is strongly based on vocal harmony, with echoey sounds from the Nord Electro 3 keyboard. Other instruments were bass, guitar, violin and a small set of drums played from a standing position with soft beaters and rim 'clicks'. Songs included 'Icebergs' and 'Moon'. Overall the Winter Villains were evocative of Pink Floyd, early Fleetwood Mac and a hint of Runrig. I look forward to hearing more of them in the future.

For the Narberth-raised singer-songwriter Jodie Marie (Warlow) this concert was a homecoming, and plenty of friends and family were in the audience. But perhaps even those who knew her well or had already listened to her excellent debut album 'Mountain Echo' (Verve/Decca) would have been surprised at her remarkable performance, and the skills of her band, Tom Sinnett, Jimmy Brewer and Dan Mayhew.

Twenty-one-year-old Jodie Marie is a uniquely talented artist who appears to mean every word she sings. Her style is rooted in blues and soul; her vocal full, tuneful and versatile. I imagine it would appeal to fans of such diverse female artists as Adele, Kate Bush, Roberta Flack and LeAnn Rimes.

On the night Jodie sang most of the songs from Mountain Echo to a rock band accompaniment of her own guitar, lively drums, evocative electric guitar and intelligent bass lines. She also sang 'The Night Before Christmas', from her seasonal single.

The set included a few new songs that further showed how Jodie Marie is maturing. Sat at a vintage electric piano draped with a shawl, the image conjured up the memory of earlier great songwriters like Carole King - and as she sang the songs seemed to come from a deep well of emotion.

Cries of 'more' and 'encore' were deserved. The concert closer, an uptempo, joyful blues song, saw many in the audience dancing and received a standing ovation.

Following the concert, Jodie posted the following response on her Facebook page:

"Thank you to EVERYONE who came to my gig in Queens Hall on friday to support me, the most amazing gig!!! Incredible support bands! Lots of love to everyone, so so happy! You all made the night really special!"

She went on to thank Span Arts, her band musicians and the sound and lighting engineers.

The Winter Villains commented:

"We had a great time and it was really nice to play to such an attentive audience. Such a lovely venue!"

I was astounded at the wealth of talent that could be packed into one night at a local venue. Thank you Span Arts and the Narberth Queens Hall.

Music lovers, if you get another chance to attend a night like this, don't miss it.

PATRICK OVENDEN