Behind The Tallest Man on Earth you will find Swedish singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson, a man blessed with a voice that strongly reminds us of Bob Dylan. But the spirit of Nick Drake, Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie is present in his entire entrancing oeuvre too. Bon Iver is also a fan and already took him along on tour. Third album ‘There’s No Leaving Now’ is soon to be released, yet another example of pure craftsmanship that gets you in the gut. This album might just mean the true breakthrough, as Tickets for his spring tour are flying out the door. The show in Amsterdam's Paradiso was sold out weeks in advance and in New York the man is even playing two days in a row at the famous Town Hall. In ’09 he performed in AB as an illustrious unknown with the Alan Lomax tributes, at the end of this year he'll be appreciated by a broad audience. Rightly so too!

Support-act will North English collectiv Dan Haywood's New Hawks. Their debut of the same name was one worth noting: a triple-album full of soulful British folk. Uncut on that: "A wild-eyed mix of cosmic country and chamber-folk, this makes for a thrilling noise” . Tunng fell for their sound too and released a single on their Static Caravan label.

Spate River HD from Kevin Cameron on Vimeo.