Raw And Tender

Known for his appearances as part of folk-dance brass band Bellowhead, and duo Spiers & Boden, as well as collaborations with Mercury Prize-nominated Eliza Carthy, Jon is currently promoting his new album Songs From the Floodplain, which is released on Monday.

Raw, tender and occasionally angry, the album is his second solo attempt, and, believe it or not, he plays everything on it. Is he any good?

Well, his band Bellowhead were recently appointed Band in Residence at London’s South Bank Centre – following in the footsteps of St Etienne.

Look forward to a frenzy of concertina, banjo, fiddle, electric guitar, thumping bass and clanging percussion. The show has been described as being like ‘Bellowhead on crack’!

And, in a jolly cool gesture, Jon and the band are donating part of the proceeds of the gig toward the continued running of Oxford Folk Festival – the city’s not-for-profit feast of all things folky, which takes place from March 20-22. Doors open at 8pm. Tickets are £12.50.

HE may have a name like a primary school teacher, but Mr Hudson, right, is an alternative indie-pop artist, who deserves your attention.

After a stint supporting Kanye West, Oxford graduate ‘Mr’ (real name Ben) is playing a refreshingly intimate gig at the O2 Academy Oxford, on Wednesday.

With his band The Library, Hudson had a bit of a hit with genre-hopping debut album Tale of two Cities and his latest single There Will Be Tears has already been crowned ‘hottest record in the world’ by some bloke called Zane Lowe.

He describes his music as ‘English RnB, but it also includes elements of dance, reggae, ska and 80s electro.

Unusual, yes, but cool?

Not if you believe well-spoken, understated blond-mopped Ben, who has repeatedly denied his cool credentials.

But then that just makes us love him even more. Doors open at 7pm. Tickets are £8.50 from ticketweb.co.uk