A couple of weeks ago I had the good fortune of being able to see Franz Nicolay in small intimate environment for the bargain price of £2 thanks to Dean & Rob (Check out the Derby DIY Collective for future gigs). It also marked the first gig in a long time whereby I didn’t end up wasted and am subsequently able to remember most of the evening!

We arrived a little late and ended up missing most of the supports although we caught the last bit of Giles’ set which sounded pretty ace.

Rather than playing in the corner out of sight like the supports, Nicolay decided to move the stage so to speak to the centre of the coffee house (and also ending up accidentally blocking the route to the toilet, something he later apologised for), allowing all 25 or so people there to get a full view.

Nicolay is a true entertainer (something he informed us had been declared official by two governments), aside from the music he is a brilliant story teller who had the attention of the whole crowd with his tales of tours and his song writing process.

I initially entered the show with fairly expectations. I was expecting a bout of good music but was also weary of the whole “One man and an accordion” setup, something that in hindsight was extremely naïve of me. I wasn’t prepared for the belly bursting bouts of laughter either, both his banter and songs were injected with a certain amount of humour that you couldn’t help but laugh along to.

Switching between an acoustic guitar, an accordion and a banjo, Nicolay recited songs about supporting the reformed Dead Kennedy’s (minus one crucial member) and the little lies you tell to get through the day amongst others, culminating in a cover of a Jimmy Granty song involving Nicolay dancing on tables, banjo in hand.

While not completely redefining my opinions on Singer/Songwriter gigs, Nicolay certainly eased me back into being interested in going to solo gigs, it’s just a shame that not everyone puts as much effort in as he does.