Ruarri Joseph wants to make you feel good. Formerly the great white hope of Atlantic Records, tonight he treats a north coast crowd to a showcase based on one thing in particular - genuinely good songs. He creates acoustic observations on human life and emotions in the same vein as James Morrison or Paolo Nutini, with whom he has toured. Atlantic snapped him up in 2007, but within 12 months Joseph had had enough, stating on his MySpace that he felt like "an asset, basically like a car tyre, and if they wanted to, they could melt me down and turn me into condoms!" Ouch.

Tonight though, Joseph's musical philosophy is clear: his knife-sharp lyricism has no truck with the dark side. Live, he injects an incredible warmth, energy and personality into the songs. There's a purring, Cat Stevens-like quality to his voice and he engages the audience as if they were old friends. Up on stage he is so emotionally direct and disarmingly funny that he breathes fire into a clutch of very clever and highly memorable songs.

'Baby Finn' is a love song to his child, written just before his birth. This might sound mawkish, but it's touching and leaves you feeling better about the world. Newie 'Romantic Cliché' is peppered with witty lyrics about first dates, and previous single 'Tales of Grime and Grit' takes your breath away with its raw power. Surely we can't be the only ones who reckon Atlantic will be kicking themselves for allowing this one to get away?! (Angeline Morrison)

For a full listing of what's going on this summer at the Sandsifter, Godrevy, click here