Guardian Music — Royal Festival Hall, LondonI'm not familiar with the opening numbers of tonight's set from Teddy Thompson and his band – and nor are many people, as he has taken the bold step of playing his new album, which is not out yet, in its entirety.You migh... more info

Guardian Music — Queen Elizabeth Hall, LondonCajun music, says Michael Doucet of Beausoleil didn't exist before the marketing men branded it in about 1980. Long before that Beausoleil were already creating, out of Lafayette, Louisiana, what Doucet prefers to call Fre... more info

Guardian Music — Purcell Room, LondonNaming your band after your musical hero – in this case the legendary American old-time singer Ola Belle Reed – is dangerous; but this five-piece New York ensemble have no need to worry about doing their namesake justice. Rich... more info

Guardian Music — Queen Elizabeth Hall, LondonNo room for self-conscious angst here. This is the real unfettered, youthful thing – a group with an authentic voice and some creative nerve, proving, against the trend, guitar music has more to say. Field Music have ins... more info

Guardian Music — Queen Elizabeth Hall, LondonRichard Thompson had been, in the words of a friend working on the Meltdown team, "like a kid in a candy store all day" about this gig.No wonder. Including the festival curator, there were half a dozen guitar gods up on st... more info

Guardian Music — Royal Festival Hall, LondonPaolo Nutini channels more voices than the late Doris Stokes, and all of them were present at this one-off concert for Meltdown. The singer, still only 23, began inflected with Ray Charles, took in along the way in no parti... more info

Guardian Music — Royal Festival Hall, LondonThree years since his belated breakthrough into the mainstream, the cult of Seasick Steve shows no sign of abating. These days, the former hobo is more accustomed to playing the Royal Albert Hall and Hyde Park than the stre... more info

Guardian Music — Queen Elizabeth Hall, LondonAlan Hovhaness is one of the most enigmatic of 20th-century American music mavericks. He was prolific – over 400 works, including 67 symphonies – but until Richard Thompson included Hovhaness's music in his Meltdown p... more info

MTV.co.uk News — Broken Bells will play a one off gig later this month for Richard Thompson’s Meltdown at London’s Southbank Centre.  The duo - James Mercer from The Shins and multi instrumentalist... more info

Guardian Music — Royal Festival Hall, LondonThis was a concert to remember. The second major show in Richard Thompson's Meltdown festival was a poignant celebration and memorial for the life of a family friend, Kate McGarrigle, the Quebecois singer-songwriter who die... more info