Oysterband at Pontardawe

Strange to be back in South Wales again, especially for a folk gig! The staff at Pontardawe Arts Centre were really friendly and welcoming, and we met Jane, a friend from pre-divorce days, who hadn't met Patrick yet. She is from Swindon where the Oysterband were playing the following night, so she was going to two gigs in a row - sign of a true fan!
A pleasant surprise was that Dan Donnelly was playing support - he has stood in for Simon Friend of the Levellers before, and also writes some very good songs. His takeoff of David Gray went down well with the crowd, unlike at the gig in Narberth where David Gray comes from! Apparently David's brother was in the crowd and was ddim hapis, as they say in Wales.
The set was mainly from their latest album, Meet You There, with a few of the fan's favourites such as Native Son and Northern Lights thrown in. Mindyou the songs from the new album are, in my opinion, some of the finest they've written - I especially like The Flood and Bury Me Standing - and agree with the sentiments. The whole band descended into the mosh pit and sang and played acoustic IN the crowd for the encore, Put Out The Lights (on London City). We had a great view as we'd arrived quite early and bagged front spots! Another amazing experience courtesy of the Oysterband.