Withered Hand and the Vatican Cellars LIVE! At The Lounge, 25th September.

When Ben said that Withered Hand's first LP, "Good News" was the best album of 2009 I'll confess I raised an eyebrow, and possibly even two. But damn me if I haven't returned to it more than anything else from that year, and goodness knows I've liked it more every time. The LP is "streaming", as I believe the young people say, on his website: We (and Ben in particular) have been trying for some years now to persuade Dan Willson, Mr. Withered Hand, to come and play at the Lounge, and we're delighted that it's happening at last. Oh, apart from Ben, who'll be on holiday.

The Vatican Cellars are probably the closest we have to regular live guests at the Lounge: this must be their third or fourth time now. That really goes to show how much we like them: their delicate melancholy sets our Sundays off a treat.

This will be a tremendous show, and it's likely to be an early one, so don't sleep. At least, don't sleep too much.