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Aidan is the new boy on Manchester's recently revived music scene. Armed with a classical acoustic guitar and occasionally a piano, he personifies quiet folk tinkering, doing so with a huge heart. Via the Twisted Nerve connection, he will be unavoidably compared to Badly Drawn Boy but Aidan takes a more light-hearted, humorous approach to his music making. From a collection of 70 songs, with which he got his TN deal, Aidan has started with this seven-track mini-album. 'At Home With' is a record that leaves the listener desperate for more. The standout track, both on this record and live, is Song To Delia Smith, a witty ode to both Aidan's (sur)namesake and to the student lifestyle. Both the demo-quality Lost Watch Song and a truly touching rendition of Smokey Robinson's You've Really Got A Hold On Me will be rattling round your head until the next mini-album is released later this year. And, who knows, maybe another eight may follow.

Chris Horkan
CWAS #12 - Summer 2003

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