enki

The night opened with Ollie from Worldview which worked really well. I took my guitar down so people could get involved if they wanted and Ollie had a good strum. All good stuff. Be sure to visit his blog and say hello.

We were also joined by Alexi, better know as the frontman from The Picture Show. I think it's a true test of a material's strength to cut it down to the bare basics and it was plain to see some strong songwriting there. The material came across really well and Alexi seems at ease in performing alone.

Finishing off the acoustic section of the evening was JB Newman, I was gutted that I couldn't catch all of his set but was really pleased with what I got to see. For a young chap he has a very mature voice and nature to his music and comes across as a seasoned veteran with his performance.

Enki was the wildcard band for me. I'd listened to their stuff a few times on their Vox but wasn't sure how they would be live. If I'm being honest I was a little concerned as I like to get to know an act reasonably well before booking them and these chaps were very last minute. However, I was very glad I did. Like the first End of Camden gig, my expectations were more than exceeded and I feel their recorded tracks aren't reflective of what they can achieve live. I must admit I was getting a little tipsy by this point but I think I would have still be bopping about had I been sober as a judge. Well worth seeing live if you have the chance to experience their huge sound on stage. A band very much punching above it's weight.

- Columbia/RCA A&R