Last night, Didsbury's tiny boho-hipster cafe, the Art of Tea was the slightly unlikely but very welcome venue for one of the best gigs of the year. The unassuming, self effacing and unbelievably brilliant guitarist Dean McPhee was launching his new 12" record Brown Bear (Hood Faire Records). This guy really has to be heard to be believed. Post John Fahey, post Loren Connors mesmerising solo guitar brilliance. Plugging his Telecaster through a couple of delay pedals (I don't know exactly what he was using cus I couldn't see his feet) and into a Fender Hotrod amp, he created the most beautiful and hypnotic sound you are ever likely to hear. He picked up an Ebow at one point, but apart from that, it was all gorgeously understated finger picking. The set must have only been about 30 minutes, but he could have easily gone on all night and I would have sat there quite happily. The Art of Tea is a pretty nice venue for a gig too - with about 25 people in there it was seriously intimate, and felt a bit like someone's front room. In a good way. Basically, you need to buy his new record, and when his album comes out next year, you need to buy that too. Go and see him live too if you get the chance.
