Have you heard the news about Edward

It’s Friday night and Edinburgh’s music aficionado’s have far too much choice of aural stimulation. But, what better way to spend the early part of the evening than in Cabaret Voltaire for a drums-free selection of relaxing slow burners from an assortment of local underground artists? Lining up four acts for our listening pleasure, the two standouts have to be the scruffy singer songwriter Jonny Downie and odd-ball acoustic duo Poor Edward.

Downie shuffles onto stage to perform a selection of self penned songs showcasing his great voice and not so great guitar play. Nervy at first and unsure of how best to interact with his audience, Downie seems to grow in stature as the set progresses, his emotive, uncomplicated rendition of ‘From What I’ve Heard’ providing a particular highlight. He is no Ryan Adams but he does enough to charm the laid back gathering watching on from the cavernous gloom.

But after Downie shuffles back off, the extrovert duo Poor Edward bounce onto stage to champion the launch of their new album, The Terrible Tale of Balloon Boy. With Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls on record praising the duo, expectations of an interesting performance are predictably high. Sporting dreadlocks more Rastafarian than rock, lead singer Sam settles into slow melodic acoustic numbers, backed by a delightful Fleetwood Mac-style electric bass. Their intriguing, coy and thoughtful set is anything but poor, and for just a while you can be forgiven for forgetting the freezing Friday that awaits outside.

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