I saw Gabriel Yacoub play solo a couple of times, once at The Band on the Wall in Manchester when they had a brief spell of bringing in a few artists from the folk world, and later at Fylde when he played brilliantly to a slightly bemused audience. His vocal and guitar technique are the equal of the best in the UK. I don't think I ever saw the band play (surely I'd remember? Cambridge possibly?), but I have quite a few of their albums. The choice of material and the musical arrangements from Pierre de Grenoble to Cathedrales de l'Industrie are absolutely brilliant and would give most of the British or Irish folk-rock bands a run for their money. Of their contemoraries, Horslips occasionally came close in terms of inspiration, and later Clan Alba would stand comparison.

Most of their material seems to have been issued on CD and was still available the last time I looked.

A few years back, a tune cropped up in the soundtrack of "My Own Private Idaho". It nagged away at my memory for ages until a random playing of one of Malicorne's CDs revealed it to be "Bacchu Ber", a traditional tune from central France. I figured it out for guitar and if I remember to bring it along, I'll play it at the Steamer next week!

Ross