"Ginger
Ginger's devoted followers are happily convinced he is one of the finest songwriters of all time and have even muttered the word 'genius'. In the past 15 years, the ex-Wildhearts frontman has written more than 100 impeccable songs and his latest work has been among his best.
The reason he is not better known is that all this has been tucked away in the supposed outcast genre of heavy rock. The Wildhearts combined sublimely uplifting pop melodies with a thrash guitar sound that kept them out of the mainstream - a mixture ripped off and watered down by others throughout the 1990s while the group themselves eventually self-destructed.
Ginger's solo career has freed his talents to incorporate a wider range of styles, instruments and moods, focusing those perfect tunes more sharply.
Very few have heard anything from his forthcoming album Yoni, although some typically provocative clips on the internet have got pulses quickening: tonight's gig is a chance for fans to satisfy their cravings. Unfortunately, playing before the album is out means there will be no repeat of the last time he played new material, when the audience sang along word for word only days after it was released.
But on his best nights, nobody in rock music puts on a live performance with greater passion, energy, humour or precision.
Robert Murphy"
ps - this may post twice, i'm having difficulty with the work computer.
