Gig

Le Vent du Nord

It's so easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the best gigs take place in the cities. Settle's Victoria Hall convincingly disproved that theory tonight.

It was midweek when I noticed that the quintessential Québécois quintet that Emma and I saw three years ago in Glasgow were playing in this Yorkshire town tonight.

The gig was tremendous: fiddles, hurdy-gurdy, mandolin, keyboards, accordion, tap and all. I suspect Le Vent du Nord aren't capable of pulling off anything less than a thrilling, joyful performance.

The real star for me though was the Victoria Hall itself. Claiming to be the oldest music hall in the world (though I'm aware of at least two others that lay claim to that crown), it's run by volunteers, has a lovingly curated artistic programme and equally diverse selection of drinks at the bar. The hall felt like the centre of a community of which I was proud to be a temporary member. I'll be back.