Matt Berry and The Maypoles – Live

Kooky cultural eccentric Matt Berry’s back. This time, he brings you a live compilation album of his time touring with The Maypoles. Stretching over material from three records released between 2008-13 (Witchazel, Kill The Wolf and Opium), Live reads a little like a greatest hits – particularly as his press release warns that he'll not be playing many of these songs again. 

Berry's known for being silly on TV, so it's worth stressing that his music is not any kind of Boosh-informed improv. In fact, it's almost too serious. Overblown country-lore is matched by very, very long, twiddling solos. Blown-out prog meets twee, superstitious folk in a manner that feels like a misdirected conversation with your local homebrew keeno, straight from the script of Hot Fuzz. It must be said, though, that the record avoids the potentially smug nature of a live album with grace; gratuitous edits of audience applause are minimal, and Berry’s occasional “Oooh, thank you very much indeed”s are warm and genuine. There's no grandstanding here; Live is well-intentioned, but largely unnecessary. [Katie Hawthorne]