Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves of Destiny/ Stornoway @ Rich Mix, London

Drummer Dav’s “10-headed abscess” is an unlikely star on tonight’s Twisted Folk bill. But here it is; on stage at The Rich Mix, thankfully kept hidden under Dav’s waistband, and he’s asking a sell-out crowd to christen it because Beth Jeans Houghton wants to dedicate the next song to the boil.

It’s certainly more Twisted than Folk. The all-male Hooves sport braces, painted moustaches and eye make-up, while singer-songwriter Beth Jeans Houghton has apparently beamed down from the planet Kook. In a flattened Marie Antoinette wig and lycra humbug-striped dress, she’s full of half-remembered facts and funny stories.

Fortunately, the kookiness is outweighed by ambitious songwriting – the slim volume of songs to name check ‘Dodecahedrons’ has grown by one – and a voice that’s a pure source of delight.

The timings on the door give Oxford’s unsigned romantics Stornoway only 10 minutes longer than Beth and her Hooves, but this is clearly the act the crowd have come to see. The murmuring stops entirely as the group and their unfailingly polite but confident and witty singer Brian Briggs takes the stage.

Their breezy forthcoming single ‘I Saw You Blink’ proves an immediate hit. Meanwhile ‘Fuel Up’’s perspective shifts through car journeys as a child, travelling to first loves and old friends, and is the evening’s high point. Its heart-tugging power is fully earned and undeniable.

Unfortunately, as happened with Beth Jeans Houghton, the volume control isn’t perfect. The romantic bounce of first single ‘Zorbing’ and the delicate building crescendo of its B-side, ‘On The Rocks’, are too loud and lose detail.

Still, at least one member was happy enough to throw ladies underwear at drummer Rob Steadman. On a bitterly cold evening such as this, when all layers were welcome, that was high praise indeed.