Gig Report: Ani Difranco

Date: Saturday 6 October, 9pm

Venue: Quays Theatre, The Lowry (Salford Quays)
Face Value: £18.50 plus admin fees
Support Act: Hemmil on Trial
Gig buddy: Phil

Saturday night and we're off to a new venue for us, Quays Theatre at The Lowry in Salford Quays. It's a bit of a trek from the city centre, but is well worth the effort. The funky modern designed building looks more like a giant child's toy and begs you to explore it's glowing orange and purple interior. Soon we enter the smaller than expected Quays Theatre (I'm dead excited about this as I prefer a more intimate performance) and take our plush pink seats (the whole theatre is pink) for the show.

Warming up for Ms Difranco this evening is the irreverant and avant-garde artist 'Hemmil on Trial' - part stand up comedian and part rock and roll musician. 100% pure alternative politics. He's sure to make the more timid audience member blush with his full frontal subject matter, but we find him pretty funny and his energy is amazing - seemingly punishing his guitar to within an inch of its life. By the way, the crowd is a real mix of people - more men than I have ever seen at an Ani gig but the lighting was fairly low, so some of them might not have been.

With minimal delay, Ani enters the stage with a drummer and a double bass player - that's it. Frankly though, it's enough - Ani's always been the kind of performer that doesn't need much (if any) support. I first saw her 10 years ago in a university bar in Canberra (Australia) and its fantastic to see that she has lost none of the passion for live performance in all these years - she's an artist that tours more than any I know of, living almost entirely on the road. How she manages to put out an album every year is beyond me. Though the style is less agressive these days, she's lost none of the impact and none of the energy. Engaging frequently with the audience to answer questions and share personal anecdotes, she keeps us laughing between songs which she delivered flawlessly. The complex key of her songs (and this is only something I have learnt from having tried to play them) means every song requires a guitar change (she's brought 6 with her) and thanks to some guy stage-left re-tuning constantly, there is no delay in the set at any point. The set list is a good mix of old and new - though it's hard to play everyone's favourite when the artist is this prolific. Notable crowd pleasers are 'Shameless', 'Little Plastic Castle', 'Fire Door', 'Napoleon' and my own favourite - 'Swim'.

Ani Difranco may not be a name that is familiar main stream (nor does she express any desire to be), but this folksy-punkish singer is one that will remain long in your memory after you've seen her.

Rating (out of 5): 4 1/2 very finely tuned guitars