Now that there is just a hint of spring in the air, and those of us who work office hours are leaving work in daylight, the dormant gig-goer shuffles uneasily from his hibernation and raises his snout to sniff the air. Yes, he thinks, it may be time to think about ‘going out’ again.

I can see that my booked events fall into three chronological groups. March is all about spoken word with front row tickets for Ross Noble on his Brain Dump tour (which will be the third time we have seen him in about 12 months), and favourite author Christopher Priest making a rare public appearance for an interview at the local book festival. I’ve loved Priest’s work since discovering The Prestige on a second hand bookstall more than 30 years ago, but have never met him. We also have an application in for a recording with David Sedaris for the BBC. We’ve applied before but been unlucky, so fingers crossed on that one.

Things then take a folky hue as spring turns into summer with Kathryn Williams at Canada Water in April, The Unthanks at Deptford in May, Fairport’s 50th birthday bash at Union Chapel, also in » Continue Reading.