AS a small venue with a growing reputation of bringing the big names in music, comedy and theatre to the small market town, Emerge:Yorkshire was all about promoting the lesser-known names in local music.

For the first edition of this venture – a sell-out in the intimate studio – Pocklington Arts Centre assembled a strong line-up with Ellen Smith, of Ellen And The Escapades, and York’s own Chris Helme as headliners.

Before these Yorkshire musical heavyweights, it fell to students Jonathan & Anna, an acoustic guitar and fiddle duo, to open the evening. The pair played four trios of instrumentals, all of contrasting styles.

The evening’s master of ceremonies, T E Morris, took the second stint on stage. Unfortunately, the man dubbed “The Master Of Morose” by Helme was handicapped by technical issues, which was a small blot on the copybook of an otherwise slickly orchestrated revue.

Ellen Smith made a rare solo appearance without her bandmates, taking time out from writing and recording to play a stripped-back set with a mixture of songs from the Escapades’ debut album All The Crooked Scenes, previous EPs and some more recently written material.

Ellen captivated the assembled crowd, bringing them to a perfect, appreciative silence with her smooth and smoky vocals that converted barn-storming full-band alt-country/Americana to acoustic guitar tracks full of depth, of which Yours To Keep and Coming Back Home were the stand outs.

Helme, still trying to step away from the “former Seahorses frontman” moniker, did plenty with his set to prove he is more than the ex-vocalist in John Squire’s post-Stone Roses band. In partnership with his backing group (and Yards) guitarist Chris Farrell, he showcased his repertoire from his two solo albums, his days with The Yards and some new compositions.

Helme did, somewhat reluctantly, revisit the Seahorses’ classic Blinded By The Sun but played in his own inimitable style. Chris’s 2012 album, The Rookery, released some 15 years after the only Seahorses album, Do It Yourself, provided the highlights of his set, Set In Stone and Blindeye, in addition to the boot-stomping closer Pleased.

Review by Kevin Smith