r 0f madcap r gTeat evening of usic-maliing. =: :-i Rainer Herschl i=lsch is a seriousll' -s f,oth a comedian :-l las a unique :. ihe t\\'o and ::at can't fail to ., :il1 the barriers that r.r :nusic, you can :ill rvhipping through .rnts of elassics such T.ll Ouertureinthe 'ugg1e along to the :r ask the audience rrch to play fih Symphony. mist and conductor, is working life in ganisations, but, , employers, he also rting as a stand-up e London cabaret 1ly he began to o and has now very major comedy and abroad, pearances at the u/ described his show : concert you will ever r't matter whether you of music or don't ence between a string ring vest, this is a LppeaJ to I ages and you are Phil Beel pictured above, and Megan Henwood, below, at ACE Space at the weekend Pictures by Bryan Drew nd night out. rs appearing at the g Festival on 1 (7.30pm at the ). mation, visit pringfestival.org.uk Beer embraces the Space Great grg from veteran of the folk scene and up-and-coming slnger-songurriter

ANOTHER Saturday night in Newbury, another fabulous ACE Space gig: the Music inimitable , ably supported by singer-songwriter Me gan Henwood, whose second albamHead Heart Eand. Phil Beer with Megan Henwood was released last year. (support), at ACE Space, Henwood, who hails from Oxford, kicked Newbury on Saturda]4 April 2 off the evening with half-a-dozen powerful and moving songs, and is clearly one to watch - check otti White Lies, These Walls and.Painkiller The AlbionBand (which he described, Phil Beer exudes warmth. From the tongue-in-cheekily as "the musical minute he took the stage we knew we equivalent ofjury service"), as well as were in for a real treat. He metaphorically writing, producing and gigging regularLy put his arms around us all straight away in his own right. and took us with him on a journey of Along with great and vocals on musical virtuosity and a kaleidoscopic everything from The Hollies' Bus Stop to mix of emotions. From the opentng Paper Randy Newman's Simon Smith,wehad, Round, with its great silgalong chorus, virtuoso fiddle playing (Riley's Daughter through songs ofthe Great War, sea plus several instrumentals) and beautiful shanties from the West Country, to sheep ballads such as Life Goes On, The Blind rusUing in present-day Devon, all were Fiddler and. Birmingham Hotel. delivered with consummate musical ski.ll Beer also treated us to a about an and a vocal range that encompassed on story schism the one hand power and passion, and early in the Exeter Folk Club, occasioned by the young soulfi.rl lyricism on the other. visit of a Paul Simon, who some claimed wasn't "proper PhiI is a veteran and stalwart of the UK folk" - a debacle Beer summed up as folk scene. Based in Devon, he's a member "trouble over Bridgewater" - boom. booml offolk supergroup Feast ofFiddles I (which features members of Lindisfarne, have to mention also Beer's souad engineeq because sound was and , the crystal clear. Great gig, great guy Buy his smff: to name but three of the legendary British you bands). Phil is also one halfofShow of won't be disappointed. Hands, and has had a stht in JOHN HANRATTY