Maiden City Festival: Conor McAteer

Conor McAteer has just released The Devil in the Ether an outstanding new album and it is his most polished recording to date. Underpinned as always by McAteer's warm, inventive guitar-work and natural, engaging vocals, the songs on The Devil in the Ether blend stiletto-sharp lyrics with varied but always memorable tunes and arrangements. As observant as a stand-up comedian - and at times just as funny - McAteer has produced a striking document of life today in the North of England and Ireland.

Smart but accessible, The Devil in the Ether is a record that will appeal to fans of Simon and Garfunkel, Leonard Cohen, Shane McGowan, Elliott Smith, and Juliet Turner.