Other Voices London: Comedy, tragedy and theatrics with Dexys, John Grant and Villagers

Wherever Other Voices has gone in the last year's outings, Banter Salon, Jim Carroll's series of talks, interviews, conversations and panels around interesting topics, from culture to politics to gender has come along to liven up the pre-show afternoons.

In London, Banter takes up residence in The Zeppelin Shelter up the road from the St. Wilton's Music Hall. Saturday's proceedings kick off with two songs from promising UK singer-songwriter Luke Sital-Singh and there's barely room for applause before we're straight into deep discussion with Peter Culshaw, author of the new biography, Clandestino about the Paris-born Mano Chao, the world's most fascinating socially-aware agitprop global pop star.

His solo debut album also called Clandestino found a global audience and sold 5 million copies but it was the always interesting character of the man Chao that Culshaw explored. One particular anecdote about his previous band Manu Negra involved a train travelling across Colombia in 1993 filled with hippies and clowns (for protection), which was stopped by bewildered rebel forces. Culshaw also explained that Chao had been saved from depression by the serendipitous sighting of cows. Clandestino the book is out in May and should make for a fascinating read if this talk was anything to go by.

Later on, the Music Tech panel delved into the world of new music spaces both online and offline, with Soundcloud's David Adams recommending the book The Lean Startup to budding entrepreneurs keen to build new platforms for music and Topspin/MobileRoadie man Stephen O'Reilly sharing a fascinating use of how the band Asteroids Galaxy Tour turned illegal downloads to their advantage by building a tour around North Eastern Europe where analytics suggested the illegal download was most prevalent. The last word was left to Mark Nagurski of CultureTECH, who talked about how the urge to create drives both music and tech. "Some people create with zeros and ones while others create with a guitar."

Up the road two hours or so later, there's much more than just music being created on stage. Dexys Midnight Runners, now just Dexys, released their fourth album One Day I'm Going to Soar, their first in 27 years in 2012. Their return to a live stage lead by the group's leader Kevin Rowland is a theatrical and a musical one. That's no surprise to those, and surely it's all of us who are familiar with the band's big hit 'Come On Eileen' and its energetic video.

That exuberance is still evident tonight with a performance of songs from the new album from a full band dressed in trademark hats, suspenders and baggy trousers. Stage dramatics are the main focus with Rowland flexing and dipping around the stage acting out his lyrics. He's joined on a few songs by Madeleine Hyland, who plays the object of his affections on the record. Things reach such dramatic heights that at one point, Hyland drops to the floor in pure despair emerging teary-eyed and face smeared. That Dexys are doing a run on London's West End makes sense after this theatrical set which only breaks character to play 'Geno', the band's other big '80s hit.

By contrast, Conor O'Brien is an Other Voices veteran. Joking that it's "the 7th millionth time Villagers have played Other Voices," his set is stripped back to himself on an acoustic and Cormac Curran on keyboard. But a smaller configuration doesn't mean less impact.

The songs from recently released second album {Awayland} burn just as bright stripped back. 'Earthly Pleasure', 'The Bell', 'Ship Of Promises' are familiar but have been reworked in subtle ways with fingerpicking replacing strumming and Curran's deft touch applied lightly. There's a song about " being sung to sleep" that we don't recognise and a stunning version of 'Newfoundland', a song which address the passing of a young life. Its delicate lullaby arrangement and deeply personal touches bring tears to the eyes. "But for now I am burnt by a lifetime too brief / And with this newfound land / Comes a newfound grief / But in a newfound land / You are free."

John Grant is no stranger to pain himself. In the time between his debut solo album Queen Of Denmark and his new one Pale Green Ghosts, he was diagnosed as HIV positive.The 44-year old American is also no stranger to brutal searing honesty, his stark lyrics never spare his own deeply personal thoughts. What makes him such an alluring performer is the combination of the personal and comic. Grant frequently punctures his songs with comic timing like on new song 'Black Belt' - You are supercilious, pretty and ridiculous / You got really good taste, you know how to cut and paste."

On stage, the stocky bearded Grant is joined with his excellent all-Icelandic band. He displays his equal parts tragedy and comedy trademark on 'Vietnam' a song about the stonewall silence of a former lover which takes on dangerous proportions : "your silence is a weapon / It's like a nuclear bomb / It's like the Agent Orange / they used in Vietnam."

On the Pale Green Ghosts highlight 'GMF' which yes, stands for greatest m*****f*****er, the lacerating lyrics are set to a beautiful rolling piano-led arrangement. "I'm usually only waiting for you to stop talking / So that I can / Concerning 2 way streets I have to say / That I am not a fan."

The title track's plucky throbbing electronics get an airing transforming St. Wiltons into a rave hall for six minutes.

Standing tall in the set, is 'Glacier', a monumental song about resisting homophobic abuse. It offers advice to gay kids everywhere to stand tall and proud. "This pain it is a glacier moving through you / And carving out the valleys / And creating spectacular landscapes." Grant is joined on stage on backing vocals by Conor O'Brien and the result is the staggeringly moving live song, of titanic proportions.