With the punters completely oblivious, MICHAEL WESTON KING and LOU DALGLEISH made their entrance via the audience area by walking 'down the aisle', thus setting the scene for a night of duet-happy C&W shenanigans.
Once on stage, Weston-King got the first laugh of the night by moving his mic stand slightly away from his partner!
Opener 'By A Thread' immediately provided a spark of life, thanks to Alan Cook's beautifully understated yet prominent pedal steel and the first first class Stratocaster solo of the night from tonight's man of the match Martin Belmont.
“The thing you're so scared of/Is coming back to haunt you now” went the refrain, whilst descending chords and saloon bar piano underscored MDC's 'straight-up' country sound. A subtle change of key added a touch of drama to the verses.
Four songs in, it was the poignant “I'll Put My Hand Behind My Ears” that provided the first platform for Dalgleish's distinctive, crystal clear vocals before the demure songstress further emphasised the nature of their duet with a trademark spoken word middle eight.
Both Dalgleish and Weston-King were keen to test the 'Country credentials' of the audience, before launching into set highlight 'Going Back To Memphis' (written in reply to Tom T. Hall's 'How I Got To Memphis').
Again, Dalgleish illuminated this flowing song with her sublime narrative, before Belmont nailed a stellar delivery with another superb chunk of Fender Strat descent.
Three brand-new songs came in a row; a sneak preview of the duo's forthcoming album (due for release sometime this summer).
'Leave The Good Book On The Shelf' brought forth more Memphis-inspired, on the level bliss. Upbeat, uncompromising and unmistakable, there were shades of Presley-esque nostalgia in MWK's delivery, as Liam Grundy seized his chance to shine on the ivories.
Weston-King got a wistful ballad about a grieving widower off to a solo start. Entitled 'I No Longer Take Pride', the rest of the band added their subtle but beautifully effective backing from the second verse onwards, before Dalgleish's voice once more came to the fore in turning the reprise into a gorgeous finale.
'There's No Heart In This Heartache' – mid-tempo simplicity in 4/4 time gave everyone on stage full reign to add their individual styles to the C&W melting-pot.
“I know that smile on your face is an act" crooned Weston-King ominously, as this gig rapidly gathered momentum.
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Dalgleish got herself behind the keyboard after suddenly finding herself alone on stage, and proceeded to pay homage to Elvis Costello with a decent interpretation of the Jerry Chestnut song 'Good Year For The Roses'. Just as suddenly, MWK re-appeared as this song, like all the others was transformed into a dual vocal/duet.
For the sake of slick continuity, MDC followed up with 'I Bought Some Roses' from the current 'How Do You Plead?' long-player, only for a false start to stop them in their tracks.
“We had to fall apart in front of you, and we've done it” laughed King, before Neil's relentless drum 1/16ths brought the song back to life. A count of four signalled a change of gear at the climax.
Bossa-nova beats were the subtle driving force behind 'You've Found Your Man' before MWK's guitar work was swallowed whole by Cook's mesmerising lap steel.
The fictional Bury International airport was the hypothetical setting as 'Departure Lounge' saw MDC hit the dizzy heights. More bossa nova sticks, more pedal steel, another ace Strat lick and some sparkling Grand ol' Opry piano saw the group fire unquestionably on all cylinders.
Both halves of the duet indulged in a spot of shape-throwing during 'Goodbye..', with MWK leading the way with some eyes-closed posturing as the stomping staccato percussion gave vent to Dalgleish's piss-take two-step.
A stellar encore included a cover of Johnny Cash's ode to June Carter, 'Because I Love You', with the brushes providing the backdrop for Belmont's dampened down guitar intro and distinctive solo, before this uncompromising duo finally brought the house down with a smashing rendition of 'Goodbye Week.'
Terminally, even suicidally unfashionable this may have been, but there's no denying the vast musical merit (or indeed the sheer passion) behind this duo's direction.
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