3 Daft Monkeys / Samson and Delilah

It's a Sunday night. It's November. It's cold and wet outside and the weatherman suggests it's too windy to go anywhere unless you really have to. It's not in a field and I'm driving. The auspices aren't great. But what the hell, if these Cornish troubadours can brave the M6 as often as they have this weekend (a gig in Bury on Friday, a sell out show in Taunton on Saturday and then Manchester on Sunday), then I can get my dancing boots on and head down the road to The Academy.

On the back of last year's successful album 'Social Vertigo', well received by fans and critics, 3 Daft Monkeys have finally begun to get the national recognition (and airplay) they deserve. This is an authentic band, made up of authentic people, playing authentic music. They have played what seems like every festival over summer – I've enjoyed them at Bearded Theory and Alchemy and anyone who saw their storming Glastonbury show in The Glade knows this is not a band intimidated by the number of people in front of them. Clearly having various folkish influences, 3DM can sound one minute like Balkan gypsies (or certainly how I imagine Balkan gypsies to sound), traditional Celtic balladeers the next, folky punksters another minute later. How Athene Roberts manages to make a single instrument sound so different is mesmerisng, but that is the nature of her fiddle playing.

I arrive in time to catch support act Samson and Delilah, a Manchester acoustic/folky with added electric bits five piece. I know nothing of them other than they are clearly skilled musicians with a brilliant ear for arrangement. Playing instruments ranging across piano, double bass, drums, guitar, accordion and flute ( and a couple I've probably missed), their tunes range from soulful ballads to energetic folk - and the lead singer has a beautiful, enchanting voice. They are a perfect warm up for the main act and one I shall definitely seek out again. After a quick turn round, and without fanfare, 3 Daft Monkeys appear on stage and have the 150 (ish) crowd on their feet and up to the stage immediately, eagerly anticipating the dancing to come.

They open the set with 'One Fine Day', taken from their last album, and immediately have a receptive audience responding to this folkish dream of a life without commerce. 'Eyes of Gaia' follows, again from 'Social Vertigo', and the mood for the evening is set - the next 80 minutes are for dancing. The Scottish 'Let 'em in' (I think a song written in Scotland and sounding Scottish can be classed as Scottish) confirms that simply standing listening isn't an option. The band try two new songs out tonight, 'Masquerade Parade' and 'She Said', and both songs are deservedly well received. The band plays a set that takes in all four of their albums, including the eponymous '3 Daft Monkeys' from newly re-released debut album 'Brouhaha'.

3 Daft Monkeys have an easy on stage presence with a natural chemistry between guitarist Tim Ashton and Fiddler Athene Roberts, whilst Bass player Jamie Waters adopts a more enigmatic approach, rarely speaking (I think he managed one 'yeah' all night) though he never seems to stop smiling. The intimacy of The Academy 3 venue encourages the rapport the band enjoys with a clearly supportive audience, all this adding to the music. Crowd favourites 'Social Vertigo' and 'Paranoid Big Brother' have the audience singing along before they close the night with riotous versions of 'Maximillian' and 'Hubbadilia'.

It would take cloth ears or no soul to leave a 3DM gig not feeling sweaty and slightly out of breath. This is a band that knows how to make people dance and resistance is entirely futile. Happily, a cold and miserable Sunday night in Manchester is no different.

FUTURE GIGS

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