Well, it's been quite a year for Sheffield's balladeer, Richard Hawley. A triumphant album and its resultant and equally triumphant tour, have seen the man propelled into the spotlight and appreciation thrown at him like confetti at a Royal wedding.

I witnessed an awesome gig at the Shepherd's Bush Empire back in October and now you have the chance to see him again in London. This time he will play the South Bank Centre on January 9th 2010 - you can see what I meant from my review on this site just how captivating and self-effacing Hawley is on stage. Tickets will cost from £22.50 upwards.

The album 'Truelove's Gutter' has been fawned over by pretty much any critic with a pulse and his fans have systematically embraced the emotional 8 tracks with some fervour. I love the bloody thing - in fact, unless Them Crooked Vultures or Maps can worm their way into my head between now and Dec 31, it is my Album of the Year. A new download single, "Open Up Your Door" is released in December.

As well as playing London, he has a few gigs closer to home that are worth a peek. Last year, Hawley played an ancient cave in Derbyshire called, magically, The Devils Arse (it's near Castleton) and, as it was so amazing, it's being held again. The date for the performance is December 18th and tickets cost around £28 plus fee. This is a REAL cave - if you decide to go be prepared to wrap up extremely warm and attend a likely pub session afterwards! Finally, prior to all of this on Dec 4th/5th he plays the Sheffield Crucible in what is a home-coming pair of dates. Tickets are £20 plus fee.

Here's to 2010!