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Acoustic sets are the name of the game on the Nerve Centre stage tonight for the North West leg of Brendan Benson's Irish tour. Local lads, Chris McConaghy and Conor Mason, capably fill tonight's support slot, and their touching melodic harmonies set the tone for this laid-back, sit-down gig. Their half-hour set is a soft and sweet, easy listening affair rounded off with the head-sway-inducing Falling Out Of Touch.

The whiff of informality lingers in the air as Brendan Benson and his band (that'll be a one-man band then, in the shape of Mr. Mark Watrous) join us on stage. After a brief nod of the head and a quick "hello" to the crowd, they launch into a few slow, ballad-esque numbers such as Gonowhere. Benson's voice sounds strong, effortless and beautiful against the backdrop of his guitar and Mark's keys, harmonies and occasional offerings on the violin. The lyrics and melodies of his songs allude to a musician that is a happy and optimistic, yet pragmatic kind of guy.

After rattling off some slow numbers in relatively quick succession to polite applause, Benson engages the audience for the first time tonight, throwing it open to the floor for requests.茂驴陆Good To Me is the track name that gets hollered back loudest at him from a particularly excitable fan. No matter; this song choice seems to do the trick and rouses the audience from its reverential slumber. After that, it's two-way chitchat a go-go and the banter flows like whiskey at an Irish wake.

Benson is the quintessential 21st century troubadour, charming the audience with poetic lyrics recounting tales of life, love, and do or dare. Equally impressive are his earworm melodies, tunes that are still swimming round this reviewer's lugholes, well after the gig. He's got a sound all of his own - it's hard to pigeonhole and one gets the feeling that Benson is the kind of guy who would prefer it that way. It's been called power pop but it's edgier and way cooler than pop, with a definite blues/American country influence at work in his music.

The entire set is a triumph of catchy riffs and infectious choruses - mostly songs from his latest album, My Old Familiar Friend - including Don't Wanna Talk, Poised And Ready, and What I'm Looking For. All in all, a fabulously melodic repertoire that is definitely more "toe tappy" than "hand clappy".

After an hour and a bit, the pair leave the stage to blistering applause and appreciative hollers from a satisfied crowd. A very enjoyable set that loses nothing in the pared down acoustic performance delivered on the night.

Claire McDermott