I was peeved. We had booked American Music club to play at the Railway. Given that we do the sxsc shows as a hobby, this was a big financial risk, yet we were confident it would sell out. But, with a week to go, there were plenty of tickets left. What was going on?

The answer came with the arrival of the Tower Arts Centre’s shiny new brochure. Unknown to us, they had booked an American band with a very similar target audience for the same night: Hot Club Of Cowtown. Suddenly, people were saying to me “Sorry we can’t come, we’re going up the Tower”. What? This wasn’t what we’d had in mind when welcoming the Tower’s return.

Don’t worry, though, this isn’t going to be a sour grapes moaning session. Quite the opposite, actually. I’ve lived in Winchester for 33 years and I swear this is the first time that two top-flight American acts have played in the city on the same night (a Tuesday, as it happened). And do you know what? Both of them sold out.

In retrospect, I shouldn’t have worried. The Hot Club are a musically sophisticated, rootsy affair, fitting in well with the more refined atmosphere of the Tower. American Music Club are an all-out rock band, chiming perfectly with the more down-to-earth vibe of the Railway. Just for the record, Richard Williams asserted that the show was better than the previous best two gigs of his life: The Clash in ’83 and Hüsker Dü in ’85. Grown men were crying.

Basically, a phenomenon is taking place. You used to have to wait a decade for a decent band to visit Winchester, now you are spoiled for choice. It’s not that the audience wasn’t there before, it‘s just that there was no one around with the initiative to bring the talent to the city. Now, with us at sxsc being mentioned in the Sunday Times as turning Winchester into an Americana hotbed, plus Ben Ward flooding both the Tower and the Discovery Centre with great shows, there is.

Ah, the Discovery Centre. When Laura Veirs appeared there in July 2008, we realized its potential as a perfect place for acoustic music. Its central position and good capacity (180) makes it feasible to book quite major artists, and its soft seats attract those who prefer to listen in comfort. It’s far too sterile for rock, but for singer-songwriters it’s perfect. Which reminds me that Lloyd Cole is appearing here this Autumn.

I’ve just driven through the bottom of town and seen an advert claiming there’s live music at the Bishop On The Bridge, the very venue where my wife and I put on Winchester’s first punk shows in 1978. Meanwhile, I popped into the Tower not long ago to see Aynsley Lister, and a couple of weeks later, Thea Gilmore. I swear, it’s as if all the controversy had never happened. Traditional “Tower artists” performing to the traditional Tower crowd in the traditional Tower atmosphere. Everything in Winchester’s musical garden appears to be lovely.

It’ll never last.