T on the Fringe: Cerys Matthews @ The Liquid Room

The Liquid Room crowd greets Cerys Matthews warmly as she takes the stage, a loyal Welsh contingent proudly waving the Red Dragon. Her bouncy, energetic stage presence endears the crowd to her further and she breezes through a set which airs material from forthcoming album 'Never Said Goodbye' as well as highlights from 2003's Americana tinged album 'Cockahoop'. New tracks The Good in Goodbye and the single Open Roads sound especially strong and her prevailing, folksy vocals carry through the venue wonderfully. Matthews has found a sound of her own which is far removed from the guitar-heavy indie anthems of her days in Catatonia. These are well crafted melodic folk-pop songs with a twist- that twist being her powerful vocals combined with observational, honest lyrics. Matthews' relentless energy as a performer is retained right through to end and encore track Seed Song is an upbeat burst of pop-rock which seems to leave everyone smiling. (Kelly Brodie)