Loudon Wainwright

The main photo is of Loudon Wainwright lll, head of the Wainwright musical dynasty, who was one of the guest artists at tonight's Transatlantic Sessions concert at the Royal Festival Hall. His songs tend to be very observational, quirky and amusing even when the subject is quite serious. They certainly contrasted with the Irish, Scottish and Americana laments that made up much of the rest of the show interspersed with rollicking jigs on fiddles and pipes. Talking of pipes, the extra photo shows the Gaelic singer, Julie Fowlis, playing the bagpipes at the right of the stage. She has a fantastic voice and she did explain what her songs were about. A brilliant evening, as ever, in the company of Transatlantic Sessions.