Ben Chasny creates psychedelic folk music that is understated, sensitive and transcendent. Under the name Six Organs of Admittance he has released several albums on Drag City Records, with Burning The Threshold being the most recent. Chasny is also well known for his interesting and diverse collaborations, but tonight it looks like he is taking to the stage with only his acoustic guitar for company.

Support act is local musician Ian Humberstone. His music is not too dissimilar to the headliner this evening, except with the pace turned down a few notches. He has a deep and engaging voice that is reminiscent of Leonard Cohen at his most dreary, but also his most affecting. Humberstone is performing with a bass player and the duo create slow pensive music that is applauded by the appreciative audience.

Ben Chasny is a dazzling guitar player. His skilful finger picking style is fast, pulsating and vigorous. Chasny creates a whirlwind of sounds from his acoustic guitar that feel grander, bolder and more expansive than the intricate instrument he embraces on stage. The musician begins the set with a string of new songs and stops in between the tracks to tune his guitar and chat to the audience. The diverse guitar tuning clearly adds to the experimental style of the music and this emphasises the tentative nature of his songs. Tonight Six Organs of Admittance perform in the main room of Summerhal. The venue has been set up with cabaret style tables and the mood is intimate, informal and relaxed. The intimate setting along with the performer’s unique and experimental guitar style makes for a fascinating evening where Chasny never strays from the alternative folk music that he is known for.

Six Organs of Admittance is onstage for just over an hour. It unfortunately felt like a short period of time, as if he was only giving the audience a taster of his music. Chasny has a strong and powerful voice that accompanies his evocative lyrics and this, along with his guitar playing, makes him an endearing musician with a distinctive style. The gig this evening was brought to Summerhall by promoters Braw Gigs and Nothing Ever Happens Here; the latter has a full programme of music during the Edinburgh Fringe.