Baldego @ Whistle Binkies

Armed only with an acoustic guitar, J.J. McGowan takes to the stage with all the decorum of the ubiquitous singer-songwriter. Mercifully, this is about as close to that tradition as Baldego gets tonight. McGowan is a one-man band of sorts. Everything gets played through an infinite series of delays, effects and echoes, rather than the old bass drum strapped to his back. Sounding something akin to the complexity of Radiohead being channelled through a single acoustic guitar, Baldego is his own rhythm section, backing vocalist, harmoniser and, somehow, even manages to duet with himself somewhere in the maelstrom. Soaring rhythms, relaxed backing vocals and even a little human beat box here and there, McGowan's strange, almost quixotic acoustic pop may carry many familiar tones. The conflict between the modern, technological twist and his otherwise outmoded methods might not. A live show that provides context to the unseen quality of his recorded work. [Neil Ferguson]