So by recommendation by Mark I went along to see Tallulah Rendal and Pete Molinari at The Captains Rest, Great Western Road, Glasgow. A basic, kitsch and intimate little music venue, situated under a pub decorated with relics to resemble the inside of an old ship.

Tallulah started her solo set with a cover of Billie Holliday’s ‘The Very Thought of You’ with no instrumental backing and a voice that is mesmerising and seems to come from her soul. Her petite stature is very deceiving as she has huge raw talent and a enormously fantastic voice. I was transfixed as she continued her set with tracks from her EP including ‘Time Fades’, ‘Lay Me Down’ and ‘Hope Tonight’ which she wrote after going to see Patti Smith live in concert, my favourite is ‘Black Seagull’ which I’ve found myself singing since I left the gig. All of Tallulah’s songs are beautiful, enchanting, very powerful and unique and she is clearly passionate about each one, an intoxicating performance to watch, a genuine treat for me. Tallulah’s EP including songs from her upcoming album ‘Libelius’ and released on her own label ‘Transducer Records’ is available from her website or through her myspace.

Another singer/songwriter I had the pleasure to see was Pete Molinari, a country/blues artist influenced by Woodie Guthrie, Bob Dylan and Billie Holliday. First impressions are that Pete is a Dylan disciple however every artist is influenced by other artist’s that’s how the story goes, once you get over this you realise that Pete has a wonderfully unique voice, a Maltese/Italian/Egyptian from Kent in the UK with a 60’s American Folk sound! You can’t help but be drawn into his songs, hook line and sinker. His poetic lyrics are personal and about his own experiences, donned with harmonica and acoustic guitar Pete played a captivating live performance. His set included ‘New York’ an obvious title about his time spent in America and the heartfelt ‘I Don’t Like the Man I Am’, ‘Sweet Louise’ an enchanting love song and made me feel I was witnessing something very special. Pete’s current album ‘virtual landslide’ from Damaged Goods Records is available just now from his website.

My advice, go and see Tallulah Rendal and Pete Molinari live. I will definitely be catching them on their next tour. If they are this good solo I’m more than positive when accompanied by their own bands they will be astounding.