Review | The Trials of Cato at The Square Tower, Old Portsmouth: 'Outstanding musicians'

If there are any opening night nerves abetted by the tour's fraught start, they're well hidden.

On their debut, 2018's Hide and Hair, TTOC were an all-male trio, but banjo player/vocalist Robin Jones and guitarist/keys player Tomos Williams are now joined by Polly Bolton on vocals and mandolin.

This obviously changes the dynamic, but the set draws mostly on their new album Gog Magog which was recorded with Bolton.

Jones’ rich lead vocals are a contrast to Bolton’s airy, breathy style.

And those three stringed instruments, each with its own distinctive sound, work well together – with each player also getting their chance to shine in the numerous tunes aired tonight.

They are also fond of a good stomping song, Bedlam Boys and I Thought You Were My Friend both being cases in point.

Black Shuck (not a cover of hard-rock band The Darkness' song of the same name, they point out) provides a touch of brooding menace, melding quite comfortably into an all-too-brief coda of Led Zeppelin's Kashmir.

The gents hail from Wrexham, north Wales (Bolton is from Yorkshire), and several songs lean into their heritage – with a couple of Welsh language numbers, Haf (meaning ‘summer’) and Aberdaron, about the picturesque village.

Meanwhile AD60 is about Boudicca, 'the OG Celtic queen'.

Some of the banter is knowingly tongue-in-cheek and a tad cheesy, but the packed house is game and plays along just fine.

They're called back for a well-deserved encore, and perform another new cut – a set of tunes they've dubbed Balls To The Wall. It's an aptly feisty finale.

These outstanding musicians putting their own stamp on the folk idiom are well worth your time.

Opening act Rob Clamp is an engaging singer-songwriter. With a fine voice and some memorable songs, he's worth checking out.

Despite coming from Southampton and segueing from U2's I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (a band I have never cared for) into one of his own songs, he leaves a positive impression.

Just don't tell him he looks like the comic Rob Beckett – he knows.