Kurt Vile

Just back from seeing Kurt Vile at the Concorde on Brighton's seafront.

A good show. He did his thing very well - without persuading me of anything new.

Nice guitar textures, with crunch and chime. Interesting chord progressions and some good picking. A lack of really killer songs. Far too much echo on the attractively mannered vocals, making much indecipherable. (He'd ambled on clutching a bottle of Jägermeister, but didn't obviously make use of it, so I don't think that was the issue.)

He was able to carry off a solo three song sequence with aplomb, before the the Violators came back on for a finale that has left my ears ringing.

So, no cigar - and, actually, not that close, given the strength of this year's competition. The gigs of the year announcement - which I know you've been aching for - will follow in the morning.