Dan Webster
Pocklington Arts Centre
8/02/06
Sandman Magazine

Firstly I would like to say what a great venue Pocklington Arts Centre is, it’s extraordinary a venue of this calibre can be found in such a small town. Now this was going to be a review of Glen Tilbrook who has been a hero of mine since his Squeeze days, with a cursory mention of the support act that I was preparing to politely clap for a few numbers, sneak out a couple before the end and beat the rush for the bar. On this occasion I ended up having to queue to get my lager shandy.

Dan walked on stage plugged his guitar in and without a word to the audience blasted into Firecracker a soaring power house of a song. Straight away I was stuck by the strength and versatility of his voice, a bit like having Chapman and Vedder rolled into one. It turned out we weren’t going get the Dillon treatment (famed for not talking to his audience) and Dan introduced himself and gently rolled into The Diamond Land a hard hitting tale of a UN peace keeper in Sierra Leone. In vivid contrast, his next offering I Say I Love You a break up song with no hint of cliché grabbed hold of your heart and started pulling. This was a full forty minute set, normally far to long when you’re waiting to see someone like Glen Tilbrook but the quality did not let up and it felt shorter, with a heady mix of folk to a very dark indie sound in the Song Webster describes as angry tune. His website says, (www.danwebster.co.uk) ‘discover the biggest little secret in modern folk’ I think its about time someone let this cat out of the bag.