Last Night's Fun are a band who excel at live performance. The sheer energy, excitement and vitality packed into their performance is exceptional. This formidable trio consists of Chris Sherburn on Anglo concertina, Denny Bartley on guitar and vocals, and Nick Scott on uilleann pipes. This particular live performance was captured in February 2006, at the Midland Arts Centre (MAC), in Birmingham.

The first track on the album is "The Watchmaker," beginning with Chris Sherburn's pulsating Anglo concertina, before the sound is filled out by Scott's wailing uilleann pipes and Bartley's rhythmic guitar. When the pace really gets going, the three instruments are woven intricately, to produce a powerful and captivating ensemble.

For me it is Denny Bartley's shimmering vocals that provide the ultimate draw to this recording. On the traditional song, "Next Market Day," Bartley's weathered tones make him sound as if he's living the lyrics, not just singing them. There's no show about Bartley's singing, it's just beautifully plaintive and shot through with earnest sentiment.

The arrangements applied to the songs are innovative, and take the songs to a completely different place than their more familiar arrangements. Ewan MacColl's "Moving On Song" is set over a frenzied melody, creating an appropriately Romany-esque sound. Conversely, "Whisky In The Jar" is slowed right down, beautifully capturing the story-telling aspect of the song, and making for an altogether compelling listen.

In delicious contrast to the other sets of tunes, "Autumn Child" begins with an achingly serene air, courtesy of Nick Scott's uilleann pipes, revealing the true splendour of this magnificent instrument. Sherburn's spirited Anglo concertina punches its sound through, as the drone of the pipes fades away, to kick off another lively and rhythmic tune, with all three instruments reuniting to create the undeniably powerful sound that is Last Night's Fun at their sparkling best.

My one criticism would be that, but for the last track, all the between-song banter has been excluded. And listening to the amusing banter that precedes this final track suggests that this is a great shame! However, this doesn't detract from the phenomenal music here, and one listen to this album is likely to have you racing to experience their live performance in the flesh!