Delightful, easy-going alt country Americana ensemble ahab return to the Westcountry this month as part of a UK tour. It comes hot on the heels of a major London date under the HMV Next Big Thing banner and ahead of their first Australian dates.

The warm buzz surrounding this melodic London-based singer songwriter collective began in earnest 18 months ago with their breakthrough onto the festival circuit. Having earned their spurs busking around East London's street markets, and across the pond in residency in Nashville, they wowed the crowds at Fairport Convention's Cropredy and have been going from strength to strength ever since.

Callum Adamson (son of the late Stuart Adamson of Big Country), Dave Burn, Luke Price and Steve Llewellyn all turfed up in the capital, fuelled by an early diet of West Coast sounds. Their stunning four-part vocal harmonies embellish their bag of laid-back swinging tunes played on stringed instruments that are passed from one to the other throughout their set. But there's also an air of refreshing indie edginess about their sound, as evidence on debut EP KMVT, and they have now added a regular drummer to their ranks.

Expect a hoe-down and lots of friendly banter.

Kathryn and Sean are ready to duet once more

Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman take a first step back onto the gigging circuit opening the spring season of Acoustic Sessions at Devoran, near Truro next week. Two of the British folk scene's most accomplished performers, vocalist, piano player and woodwind wizard Kathryn, and guitarist producer Sean, first shared a stage in the folk rock band Equation in the late 1990s and have graced stages the world over in a number of guises, but as a duo they offer a unique intimacy and passion.

The arrival of their twin daughters and Sean's close involvement in performance and production with his brother Seth, put their collaborations on hold, but with some breathing space and a new album almost in the bag, the Dartmoor couple are ripe for a return.