King’s Cross may be the organised and illustrious (read overcrowded and stinking) gateway to our fair capital for many visitors, but pitch up at the station on a Monday evening and you’re not exactly overcome with options for that something special.  

Yes, there is the excellent Water Rats venue just up the road, and passing The Scala the strains of Infadels drift out from their live show, but the area is more of a specialist in chain pubs, disgruntled travellers and tramps selling travelcards than in any kind of enjoyable experience.  

However, tonight is a little different, and the promise of a free gig at The Big Chill House (easily the best bar around here) has brought a fair crowd to the Pentonville Road. And not just any old crowd either, because picking his way through the chattering punters is Romeo Stoddart, Richard Bacon’s best chum and lead singer of hirsute harmonisers The Magic Numbers. As with all aspects of life, celebrities validate our own actions, meaning there must be something of interest here tonight.

So what is it? Well, it’s The Cave Singers, a band risen from the ashes of Pretty Girls Make Graves, the Seattle based art punks who had an all too brief career before calling it a day last year. Derek Fudesco on guitar is the remnant of that band, and, joined by Pete Quirk on vocals and Marty Lund on drums, the new outfit is all ready to go.

It’s not an easy task to bring hush to a bar full of people who haven’t paid to see you, especially when you’re pushing soft rootsy folk music, but Seeds of Night from debut album Invitation Songs is a good way to begin the job. Quirk settles in for the task ahead and with a nasal and heartfelt voice that sounds like Billy Corgan covering a lost Bob Dylan track, people are paying attention soon enough.

They’re rewarded with some bolder tunes, and New Monuments in particular is a highlight, venturing into Leadbelly terrain to please any passing fan of Nirvana’s Unplugged set. Cold Eye and Helen are more thoughtful campfire affairs, but it’s the closing song of the night, Dancing on Our Graves, that really sticks in the mind.

For this one, the washboard comes out and suddenly everyone springs to life as Quirk moans "oh lord I ain’t afraid, you and me dancing on your grave." It’s great stuff, piercing the conversation of those with short attention spans and drawing deserved (and slightly astonished) applause from everyone in the room.

In fact, it’s the closest thing to a spiritual experience that you’ll get out of this corner of North London for the time being, and as the group are set to film for the BBC’s Culture Show the very next day, it looks like this is one gospel that will spread far and wide.

[story by Tom Atkinson]