CityLife

HIATUSES are a tricky business for most musicians, especially ones who go on an extended break with much still to prove.<br /> <br /> Fortunately for Liam Frost, affections for the Mancunian singer-songwriter have glowed warmly since he first hit the live circuit, and not just because he’s one of us.<br /> <br /> His inspirational hymns of heartbreak and reminiscence won us over, but his shy demeanour and self-deprecating interlude banter made us fall in love.<br /> <br /> It’s three years since he last had a go at the live game in his home town, though, and he returns a little battered and bruised from life on a major label, after it left him high and dry and clutching his finished but unreleased album last year.<br /> <br /> A four-week residency back in Manchester’s bosom, then, sounds like an infinitely sensible way to get back in the saddle with his band, The Slowdown Family - now a new bunch of pickers who’ve grooved up their guitars and chucked out the violins.<br /> <br /> Doing it at The Ruby Lounge is a braver choice; it’s one of the city’s more bijou venues, but it’s also suitably sprawling enough to feel vast if the crowd isn’t on side.<br /> <br /> Hairy moment<br /> <br /> And there’s a hairy moment when it looks like it might not go Liam’s way. The band arrive to an awkward silence, only sporadic whoops sound out when Liam greets the crowd, and his expression suggests he should have gone with his gut and called the whole thing off.<br /> <br /> Instead, though, he opts for proving why these people have kept the faith.<br /> <br /> Confidently, he starts with a newie, Held Tightly In Your Fist, which suggests a sea change in his musical leaning – less folk, more pop (only the sweet, three part harmonies expose his folk roots). Mystery Jets rejecting crusty indie for '80s electro-sheen this isn’t, but it is an intriguing twist on Frost’s distinctive autumnal melodies.<br /> <br /> Shall We Dance<br /> <br /> His first rusty moment trips him up during oldie Shall We Dance, but he recovers well for three more new offerings: Shipwrecked, complete with delicious, tumbling guitar riff, Good Things Are Coming Our Way and Sparks.<br /> <br /> But just as it was back at the Academy 2 in 2006, it’s Liam’s solo spot that really wins everyone over. Skylark Avenue’s deliberately minimal guitar leaves plenty of space for Liam’s huge voice to soar, while Try Try Try and The City Is At Standstill are powerful reminders of why everyone first paid attention to the then 22-year-old troubadour.<br /> <br /> Favourites and first time tracks see the night out, with a standout new song - the massive Division Street – stealing the show.<br /> <br /> It’s a setlist full of peaks and troughs, but that really is the point of a residency – allowing Frost to iron out a consistent set before his record gets its official send off.<br /> <br /> And, with any luck, the side effect will be to convince him to keep a higher profile in future.<br /> <br /> Liam Frost plays the Ruby Lounge again on March 11, 18 and 25. £8. Call 0161 832 1111.<br />