Concrete Playground

Cuthbert & The Nightwalkers music sounds like a pop-up book for kids that have grown up too quick. It jumps out at you with Richie Cuthbert's lyrics about 20- something life brashly topped with Pogues like punk/sea shanty tunes, and all with heavy servings of chanting female backing vocals.

The band is comprised of a weird, completely un-nuclear family, with members coming and going and the size of the band ever shifting between 6 and 12 members. They even had a big house they all lived in together until they got evicted — and you can hear this in the music — celebratory and bombastic, but in a gentle and lovely way.

They have just released their second album Mr Pickwicks Camera (see it even sounds like a kids book). They have stripped it back to a 6 piece, losing some of the Cuthbert choir, and after seeing them live a few times and hearing the new songs, it seems they have focussed things nicely. Pace Ourselves the lead cut off the album is a great example of this, with the playful nature of their first album Love Needs Us extended on, with a slow bass and drum driven groove that Richie and co sing over with massive amounts of zeal and heart, before the synth kicks in with the melodicas for a great outro.

They are great live, it's always a party that leaves you with warm fuzzies.