Phoebe Troup & Billy Lubach @ Eaton Park Cafe

Despite the huge number of tempting attractions in the fine city for the Lord Mayor's celebrations it was Eaton Park Cafe on Saturday evening which was the big draw for me with Phoebe Troup and Billy Lubach playing the cafe's first summer music night at a venue close enough for me to walk to. Recently taken over by The Bicycle Shop the decor has a reassuring boho-chic familiarity about it and I instantly felt comfortable and relaxed in the informal layout, joss sticks burning and Frazey Ford's Indian Ocean playing in the background, quite at home in fact.

Having decided upon this gig I'd had Phoebe Troup's irresistible earworm Deep in the Riverbed in my head throughout the day and to my great pleasure she performed this immediately after the also wonderful Jam Jars. I've seen Phoebe play a number of times over the past couple of years but especially more so in recent months and her songs have wormed their way under my skin and into my consciousness in the most delicious way in that I often find myself humming them or have some of the lyrics going around my head as they've become more familiar to me. I cannot resist her mix of storytelling with the occasional hint of darkness but also the playful moments, her guitar playing is a beautiful thing and she has the loveliest voice full of expression and emotion, evocative of places I have never seen outside of dreams whilst she herself is quietly charming, the more I see her the more I like her. As with some other talented artists her songs and tales touch half-recalled soul memories and her words paint vivid pictures.

The half hour set passed by all too quickly but after a short break she took to the stage again with Billy Lubach. Yet to settle on a name as a duo they offered the audience the chance to choose from a couple of their suggestions in a contest moment, my personal favourite being Cuckoo and the Meadow Pipits ("Sweet, with an undertone of morbid parasitism!") Billy, yet another of the city's impressive musical talents, took turns on lead vocals and also played guitar, cello, and accordion giving the set a lot of variety and warmth. Towards the end he also relayed the story of a recent nasty incident on his bike, meeting a car in a winceworthy collision and his head meeting the road way too close for comfort, he still had the visible grazes. This only happening on Monday made it all the more impressive that he played this gig at all, I think he was just relieved he was able to remember the words after that head injury. So, the song they closed with was highly apt, and they made the Chumbawamba classic anthem of defiance and resilience their own with a unique interpretation of Tubthumping, especially the delivery of the lines "I get knocked down but I get up again!"

I wasn't sure if the occasional flashes of light I saw from the corner of my eye were from lightning or the city fireworks but I was happy with my gig choice and Eaton Park Cafe and shall definitely be back, a most welcome addition to the Norwich music venues which had a vibe that was relaxed, informal, friendly and welcoming. There is a supper menu so much of the music takes place whilst people dine but nobody talked loudly over the music, everything just sort of fitted together in a lovely atmosphere of togetherness and compatibility, fine music and quiet ambient dining chatter and an audience there for food and music. The music was as lovely as the food, Phoebe continues to go up in my estimation and I was most impressed by Billy's musicianship too. The listings for Saturdays at the Cafe are already booked up until the end of August and feature a lot of my local favourites, I look forward to returning soon.