Tonight I was rather excited to make my first visit to the Union Chapel in Islington to see Michelle Shocked with Owen.

What a lovely venue - it was nice to sit and gawp about myself during the support act at the 130 year old church. Not that the support act was all *that* bad but Emily Barker did the remarkable trick of making me grit my teeth, roll my eyes back and clench my fists when she announced that her first song would be '"Orlando' based on a part of Virginia Woolf's book..." Oh very dear. Add to that a winsome manner and a floral print dress and you almost have a folkie straight out of Central Casting. However with her accompanying cellist and accordian/flute player I was engaged several times by the interesting sounds they come up with.

I saw Michelle Shocked a few years ago with Owen at the Islington Academy where she appeared with a small band but tonight she was flying solo, just her and her guitar. During her first song she broke a string - I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often with her fractured, splintering guitar playing. Owen is the big fan - I know a few of her songs from a compilation cd he did for me a few years back so am familiar with the audience favourites.

It wasn't so much a gig per se - more a happening. Songs are started and invariably provide a springboard for her musings on love and life. I think it must be frustrating if she does this during a favourite song but then you wouldn't be there I guess if you were not happy to go wherever Shocked chooses to steer the evening.

She's a remarkably guileless performer, I suspect if she had been allowed to she would still be on stage racking her brains for another anecdote or song the audience could sing along to. It's not every performer who could share with her audience that her manager quit on her the day before - the day her new album was released! - and rather than cancel the show she felt it would be better if she showed up - even with no real set-list. As I said, the audience were happy to act as her choir - I joined in too. Well, it seemed to make her so happy. She even managed to get three people up on stage to do backing vocals on a song they had never heard before!

While watching her I was put in mind of Sinead O'Connor another uncompromising 1980s singer whose independent spirit has defined and possibly hindered their career and is now drawing on sprituality as inspiration.