"Excuse me blonde lady is that for real?"

The guy playing on stage was stopped in his tracks. Friends had told me about Beth Jeans Houghton and that she changes her appearance constantly. Tonight she had certainly outdone herself, appearing in a leopard print leotard, a massive white fright wig and make-up to match.

"You were talking to me just a minute ago before I got changed" Beth pointed out - slightly exasperated - before disappearing out onto the roof terrace for a rollie. Just to top off the appearance, while they were making the final preparations on stage, someone specially delivered a pair of ridiculously high black platform shoes and placed them centre stage, like performers in their own right. These were worn only on stage, as if maybe they were magic of some sort. Is it right to comment so heavily on Beth's appearance? All I can say is that it forms such a huge part of her performance persona that it would be rude not to. I've never seen porn star pumps on an effects pedal before.

The voice here is northern tinged, somewhere on the indie bluesy side of the Folk Festival. The sound that surrounds that voice contains guitars, brass, and pretty simple drums. It was no apparition, they really did have a suitcase instead of a bass drum. In some moments the brass added an oompah feel, redolent of the Sally Army or even something you might hear in the Blackpool Tower Ballroom. Beth Jeans Houghton's voice though came through clear. The words were prosaic, telling of curry, breakdowns and AA men. Ralph McTell, but in girly form, with a leotard and a much much better voice.

It is somehow important that the people on stage are likeable, that we can identify with them.

Top marks then to Beth for:

• providing party bags for the audience. Sweeties and party poppers anyone?
• being only too happy to sit down at the end, chat, and sign autographs. Just as soon as she got those shoes off, that is!

Let's hear it again for Beth Jeans Houghton, or as she says it Beth Jeans 'Owton, and to Akoustik Anarkhy for getting this night together.