End Of The Road 2009 Live: Beth Jeans Houghton

The guy at the Local is a very funny chap. Introducing Beth Jeans Houghton he informed us that Beth and the band had played a very special show last night with "actual princesses in the audience, so I don't know whether the band will be up for playing for you shower".

The Local if you don't know it, is quintessentially a big white marquee that looks splendid at night because you can't see how dirty it is. The floor is made up of wooden shavings, the kind you'd expect to see in a children's playground, but it provided the perfect setting for Beth Jeans Houghton, no matter where she played the previous night (even Buckingham Palace for all we care).

We'd been tipped off to see Beth by our very own David Morris' glowing review at the Green Man Festival last month and yes, we admit that we were curious as to what head-wear she'd arrive in this time.

As it happens it was a delightful feather headdress, which almost stretched to the top of the dirty marquee.

As for the music, she performed half a cover version of George Michael's 'Faith' before she and the band collapsed into giggles, but her own material remains strong and effervescing.

Songs such as 'Nightswimmer' - about her boyfriend "because he sweats a lot when he sleeps" stood out, as did a track called 'Golden' that had us humming along as we made the short trek back to our tent.

The future is bright for this Newcastle-born singer-songwriter. The fact that she was asked to play again on a prime-time slot on Saturday to replace The Horrors speaks volumes. Be sure to catch her soon before she stops playing dirty marquees and becomes a folk princess in her own right.

Live Pics: