THE perfectly convivial dimensions of the Crescent make for the ideal venue for sound and viewing, a jewel in York's music scene, if a little cold early doors.

Dressed all in white, like a Marvel heroine, Beth McCarthy launched into the rousing Pretty Lies, typical of her delicate pop tunes laced with hooks and harmonies as good as anything on the radio; her band members Robin Pickford and Chris Bush gently cradling the melodies with care.

Beth is the girl next door who just happens to have charm and personality, is great on radio interviews, with a faultless voice and killer songs too. Mr Cliche, for example, is brimming with memes and cliches to fill any facebook feed, while her high-energy guitar playing is as if she has borrowed Nile Rodgers' right hand!

There was so much love in the room last Saturday from people who have seen this rough diamond polished to the point of shining so brightly in front of them. Her version of Streets Of London was haunting; her uptown country arrangement of Penny Drop contained a medley of Sweet Home Alabama, Down Under and I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) as a tribute to York buskers The Y Street Band.

In the past, Chrissie Hynde, Suzi Quatro and Sharleen Spiteri have needed an edge and an attitude to front bands; McCarthy is the opposite. She smooths off any edges and adds soft focus. There is a space for her; she isn't edgy, she isn't another singer desperate to fill the Amy Winehouse void, and nor does she go on dog whistle vocal runs. This is the girl next door who would never have you banging on the wall to shout "Turn it down"!

Beth McCarthy is good to go; this show would fit on any stage and not fall short. She's just waiting for one call from Jools Holland, sooner or Later, and she has all the qualities to fly.

Beth may have the biggest smile in York but based on her Crescent performance and the audience reaction, she has plenty of reasons for that smile.