GATESHEAD’S Sage has something of a scoop tonight, with an appearance by the under-rated acoustic band Plainsong. The group first formed back in the 1970s under the leadership of Iain Matthews, hot off the reputation of his chart-topping band Matthews Southern Comfort, and with ace guitarist Andy Roberts in co-pilot’s seat.

Their 1972 album The True Story of Amelia Earhart is well-worth seeking out. In recent years Plainsong have reformed periodically with a variety of line-ups, and it should be a great night at The Sage this evening.

Another worthwhile offering from The Sage this week is Tom McConville’s band, who are in concert on Sunday. Tom leads a line-up of Phil Murray on bass, Shona Kipling on accordion and Dave Newey on guitar, and were on fine form when I saw them in Liverpool earlier this summer.

Elsewhere in the region, Anglo-Australian duo James Fagan and Nancy Kerr are at Darlington’s Copper Beech tonight, and at Washington ’s Davy Lamp on Saturday, and on Tuesday, Irish balladeer Ben Sands is at Cramlington’s Hind, where we had a great night last Saturday as part of their on-going fortieth anniversary celebrations. On Wednesday, Bishop Auckland Town hall has a star-studded night topped by The John Wrightson Band, with ODi and David Readfern in support. Finally, harking back to Plainsong’s Iain Matthews, his sojourn with Fairport Convention in the late 1960s will surely be mentioned in a series of programmes on BBC 4 tomorrow night.

Whether it be through the singing of Sandy Denny, the fiddle-playing of Dave Swarbrick or the guitar-playing and songwriting of Richard Thompson, Fairport have managed to capture the imagination of several generations of music fans, and all this will be in evidence tomorrow night, no doubt.