The Sage Gateshead will be full of twisted folk tonight - of the musical variety, as Showbusiness Reporter Gordon Barr explains Three acts with their roots in folk music take to the stage of The Sage tonight. Following the global acclaim of their last album, The Earlies will be joined by Hem and Jackie Leven for an eclectic evening of music. Specialising in twisted alt-rock and melding electronic elements with traditional songwriting, The Earlies' Gateshead gig follows the release yesterday of their new single, Bring It Back Again. It has been described as a more traditional form of song than they've produced before, with very British musical sensibilities. This might come as no surprise, given the band's transatlantic background, with two members originating from Texas and the remaining pair the North West of England. The Earlies as a live machine is a completely different prospect, however, with the quartet fleshed out into 11 members to recreate the richness they lay down on record. Expect an instrument-swapping frenzy. Brooklyn collective Hem hail from New York and play a homespun blend of vintage Americana, country, folk and chamber music. Their latest album, Eveningland, was released earlier this month. The band flew to the Slovak Republic to record with the world-famous Slovak Radio Orchestra. As bandleader Dan Messe explains: "I cannot imagine a more intense way to begin recording an album. From the moment we landed, the challenges, both musically and technically, were far beyond anything we had encountered before. It was an all-consuming, disorienting and ultimately magical time for us." In 1999, Hem were just three lads with an idea and no singer. But once Sally Ellyson had sung a lullaby as her audition into the answering machine of main songwriter Dan, Hem had found not only their singer but also their voice. "We're all in love with that `Countrypolitan' sound," says Dan. "Ultimately, we kept stripping away anything that got in the way of Sally's voice. Sally's voice is so comforting. She can be saying the darkest things and it can still sound very soothing, which is perfect for the kind of songs I wanted to write." Jackie Leven is from Fife and a veteran songwriter of raw emotional power who first started recording in the early 70s. His last album, Creatures of Darkness and Light, was described by one critic as "frequently awesome, frequently terrifying". Leven's lyrics are filled with romantic longing, hurt and warmth, while his music blends Celtic and American soul. | 
