First date of the year for Miles & Erica, and back on the endless road. As the Forum eases into its 20th anniversary (and Miles Hunt makes 8th appearance here), there's a curious symmetry in being flanked by a banner that reads 1993-2013, but also that, like many of us, Miles & Erica are long standing warriors in love with music.

With a new album ready to go (the rather splendid “Oh No!.... it's The Wonder Stuff”), the acoustic wing of the band play to a 90% capacity crowd on a boisterous Saturday Night and, offer a packed 80 minute set.

If you've seen any one of the 500 or so shows on the seven year “Never Ending Tour”, the format may be familiar – wine and stories and song all abound – but Miles and Erica have a enviable army of material from the eleven albums of all original material, as well as multitude of live and compilation releases. This year also sees a brace of new Wonder Stuff material with new album “Oh No! It's The Wonder Stuff!”, and a set of limited cover singles, to make the evening an evolving experience : reaching back as far as 1989 for “Golden Green” and playing half of 1991's enormous “Never Loved Elvis”. “Plans In the Sky”, a duet between the pair, is a sweet, touching song of two old drunks tied together. The performance is loose and tight, the product of knowing without thinking, the songs that saved lives, and changed lives, and moments that show that despite all other things, and all our differences, we all are far more alike than we realise.

Given the undoubted large sales of their work – the older songs are best received. The newer ones are not so well known, but sell heathily at the end of the show. They pose for photographs and indulge autograph opportunities, before wrapping up for the night. We chat after the show about mutual friends and loathed illnesses.

Sometime soon, somewhere, Miles & Erica will take to a stage and serenade an evening with songs. And if you can, you must, be there, and see what it is that makes me travel hundreds of miles for a earful of beautiful songs.

D.W.I.
Fill Her Up, And Foot Down
Mission Drive
Play
Circlesquare
Be Thy Name
The Cake
Welcome To The Cheap Seats
Caught In My Shadow
Golden Green
The Right Side of The Turf
Plans In The Sky
Room 512
Maybe
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Here Comes Everyone