Joanna Newsom, The Barbican, London, 19.1.2007

Could it be that Joana Newsom got her boyf Bill Callahan, aka Smog, aka the Hugh Hefner of freak-folk, to sing two lines on Only Skin just so that she could persuade her record label to pay for her to take him on tour? Anyway, he was there for a few minutes looking awkward. J-New, by contrast, looked serene, and didn't even have to do that acapella intro thing that she used to employ to get over her stage fright. The gig was amazing, although I did wonder what the London Symphony Orchestra made of an indie crowd, who clapped not only (gasp!) between 'movements' but also every time we recognised the intro a song we liked and every time Joanna mentioned anyone in her band. Maybe that was why the big guy playing timpanis and chewing gum looked so moody? Also I saw both Daniel Kitson and Kieran Hebden in the lobby. Starstruck!