When Fence Records announced their most recent grand scheme for making music just that little bit more special, I felt a familiarly strange mixture of excitement and heart-sinkingly blind panic. Because, when Fence tell you something is limited it genuinely is going to be a scare pleasure. Be it the finite number of precious Away Game tickets, or "Chart Ruse" - this subscription-based series of 7" EPs all playing at 33rpm to squeeze in as much music as possible, the announcement is followed by blind panic among the Fence faithful. For me, this meant desperately competing for a terrible internet connection at a freezing East Croydon station, imagining the innocent passers-by accidentally stealing my PayPal password over the airwaves. It was worth the chaos and concern however, as so far lucky subscribers have received Withered Hand's splendid "Heart Heart" EP, and will shortly get their hands on this new release by Delifinger.

Delifinger - also known as Matthew Lacey - is part of the OLO Worms. That curiously complex Bristolian collective which is going to be responsible shortly for one of the most dizzyingly varied debut albums of the year. As one of the songwriters which provide some form and structure to the otherwise strangely scatter-gun approach which the OLOs take, Lacey's craft needs to be subtle and versatile - and this EP showcases this very ably indeed. There are hints of his other work here too, as title track "Escapes" edges in gently with ominous beats and strange electronic noises. Lacey's delicate multitracked vocals take on a strangely traditional, madrigal-like quality in the claustrophobic atmosphere of the track. Somewhere in the midst of this, the droning equipment comes to the fore and the guitar takes centre stage. Since there is just a hint of summery west coast pop buried in here too, it ends up being both ancient and modern all at once. Meanwhile the more upbeat "Take It Slowly" is a gorgeously odd nugget of country pop, complete with a bassline borrowed from a Johnny Cash hit and a swooning chorus reminiscent of Gene Clark at his lyrical finest. Harmonising effortlessly with both his own rebounding voice and that of Anneliesa his wife, Lacey's simple but effective guitar is augmented by charmingly low-budget organ sounds in these sections too. Again I'm struck by the timelessness of Lacey's writing - and this could just as easily be some late-sixties psyche pop single spinning on the deck. It's simple, direct and incredibly enjoyable.

When we reach the portentously titled "It's Not Going To End Well For Me". Delifinger has entered the strangely reflective zone where he is often at his best. The musical backing here is perhaps more reminiscent of his work in OLO Worms with fractured sound fragments sliding in and out of a soundtrack constructed from rumbling bass sounds and synthetic drums. Lacey sets out the dark territory he's going to explore with the opening couplet "There's too much on my plate/my bones deserve a break". This is a tale of being stretched too far, and the danger of being on the edge of your patience and tolerance. As the hiss of tinny percussion sounds slides in, the vocals slip even further into the background and start to shatter and fragment. Clipped, weird yelps and spectral moans echo around and everything becomes just a little bit disconcerting, as somehow this is the soundtrack to an inner monologue which you get the sense you really shouldn't be hearing. While this reflective approach bewildered me a little in the live performance at The Fleece, it makes much more sense here, reverberating spookily in my headphones. The organ which heralds the coming of closing track "Mining" rumbles equally ominiously, and rather surprisingly that is just about the size of it - a brief, strangely gloomy drone fading out as the needle lifts.

Atmospheric and far more complex than the simple instrumentation might imply, Delifinger has turned in a strange, sometimes impenetrable but always compelling EP which is a very worthy addition to this series of Fence releases. It will of course come with a remix by another Fence type by the time it reaches subscribers, and will be subject to the witheringly defiant approach to digital releases which means a download code might follow, at some unknown future occasion. Until then, the rare pleasure of lifting a real, tangible audio artefact out of it's beautifully designed sleeve and placing it onto the deck should be celebrated. The fact is that Delifinger will transport you to a place where formats just don't matter.

In deference to the concept behind the "Chart Ruse" series, there will be no audio preview at the end of this review. You'll just have to take my word for what strangely subdued pleasures await with the "Escapes EP" - though you can watch the video for "Take It Slowly" here. Non-subscribers can pre-order the EP from Fence Records directly here. Delifinger shares a launch with Seamus Fogarty at The Wilmington Arms, London on Thursday 19th April, and in his native Bristol at Café Kino on Friday 20th April.

A couple of years back there was a flurry of activity on preserved lines, where tracks were extended or connections to the mainline remade. This meant trips to the North Norfolk, Weardale and Swanage Railways all became possible for railtours or special trains. Then of course everything went quiet - the preservationists were left to deal with the aftermath of a couple of pretty tough winters, and the recession began to bite despite more people staying in the UK for holidays. Times were tough, and I wondered if all of those interesting projects to squeeze a few more yards of line out of even the smallest railway had dried up? Happily it seems not - and today I had the choice of two railways running on extensions. I thought about a trip to the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, now running from the junction platform at Duffield mainline station - but it was their opening weekend and seemed both busy and a bit pricey. So instead I elected to revisit an old friend - The Spa Valley Railway - now running into the disused down platform at Eridge.

This meant a run up to London on the first train of the day. It was a perfect morning - a little chilly and misty but with the promise of a fine day ahead. I changed trains at Weston-super-Mare to find no buffet on board until later in the journey, but didn't let that spoil what was a relaxing trip. Having not been this way for a few weeks it was interesting to see activity around Reading station where huge changes are beginning, and with headphones on I dozed and daydreamed my way west. At Paddington, I switched onto the Circle Line and headed for Monument, where I surfaced to find a really fine morning. The mist had evaporated, and I strode over London bridge, dodging tourists and feeling in surprisingly good spirits. I was surprising even myself today. Got a late breakfast and settled into the Class 171 which was bound for Eridge. Another fine journey, initially through the always interesting suburbs, then into rolling Kent countryside with surprising suddenness.

The connection at Eridge was pretty tight but I was reassured by a couple of other enthusiasts who seemed to be planning the same thing. In the event we arrived a little early, and I was able to dash over the footbridge to the ticket office very quickly. Noted 37254 sitting at the southern end of the train, about to be detached. A shame I couldn't have done this the other way around and caught one of only two diesel operated trips today. Instead, the train was to be hauled by 5521 - a Small Prairie way off it's Great Western territory. Found a seat in beautifully restored 1961 buffet car "Kate", ordered a coffee and sat back to watch the line roll by. Also got chatting to a local character who routinely walked the line prior to it's reopening and was heading South West shortly. Despite an extended wait for the diesel to be detached, the journey went surprisingly quickly - and it was good to see this fine little railway again. The extension should make it far more accessible, and indeed useful for local journeys - that holy grail of preservation which never quite seems to work out. At Tunbridge Wells West, sadly I couldn't get near to the yard to look at the diesel fleet, but managed to dodge the sizeable crowds gathered for a steam ride and have a poke around in the shed before heading across town to the mainline station.

Despite a lazy walk, I caught the slightly late running train I'd planned to, and made a quick run into London Bridge. Spent a little time on the platform here, enjoying the sunshine and chatting while I figured out my next move. The plan was to get a train out to New Cross Gate to gain the East London Line. This all worked surprisingly simply, and I was able to very quickly change trains there for a Highbury and Islington bound unit which would traverse the newly opened curve from Dalston Junction. Noted how busy the East London Line was becoming - which compared to its former rather downtrodden feel in Underground days, was quite a change. The Overground network seems to have become part of peoples travel habits very quickly, and these extensions can only help. As ever, an interesting and rather mysterious journey into Hackney and into the dark cavern of Dalston Junction. After a short wait we pressed onward, taking the fairly sharp West Curve with occasional flashes of daylight above as we emerged into the cutting at Canonbury. Highbury and Islington is transformed - a busy, multi-platform station with lots of transferring passengers even on a lazy and hot Saturday afternoon. A quick platform change got me onto a Richmond bound North London Line service heading for Willesden Junction. This set-up just works - no fuss, modern trains - a real success.

At Willesden I waited for a DC line train northwards in order to get to Harrow and Wealdstone. This move has become a staple - a chance to pass the depots at Willesden and Wembley, and easy access to services back into Euston. Lingered a while at Harrow in the quiet, very warm afternoon before I realised I was attracting the curiousity of a couple of BTP Officers. So, headed back into Euston and then by bus to Paddington. It's a rare privilege to be able to get two bits of new track on the same day nowadays - and that one is on a successful preserved railway and another a busy commuter route is all the more surprising. It's going to be a busy few weeks once a rather quiet April is out of the way, and I hope I can get to more of these opportunities during the summer.

It's a long time since I've sneaked up to Bristol after to work to see music. In part, it's because so little music of any note seems to emanate from the city. Others would tell me differently, but I just see a mess of proficient but fairly uninteresting covers bands playing over and over whilst the rest of the place seems to rumble on in the same drum'n'bass rut it's been in since the late 1990s. It's also partly my own fault of course. I'm getting old, and whilst we kid on we're all John Peel's musical offspring, it's hard to find the time to be as expansive and gloriously indulgent in our tastes as the man himself managed to be. There is, of course, also the pleasure to be had in watching a favourite band develop over time, and when pushed for time and resources it's easy to end up with a small group of bands or a scene to follow relentlessly rather than looking further afield. For me, in recent times, the vibrant and ever-changing scene in my beloved Glasgow has provided endless new opportunities and ear-opening moments - and it's partly though participating from afar in this burgeoning musical network that I even heard of tonight's act. Belfast's And So I Watch You From Afar could easily have slipped past me - tipped hotly in places I'd never be looking (including the likes of Kerrang!) their brand of instrumental genre-busting sonic mayhem doesn't really fit anywhere. It certainly didn't seem to fit into The Cooler - a tiny venue on familiar Park Street, with something of a faded 80's cocktail bar theme in evidence - though it's hard to tell whether this was intentional or just a relic of the venue's past life. Support was from another tipped NI act, LaFaro. I'd heard a lot about them, but lazily knew only one song - the punishing "Tuppeny Nudger" - which grabbed my attention with a collosal drum intro, but lost it with dreary mock-American vocals. Live, LaFaro were a much more engaging prospect with tons of energy and plenty of noise. A forthcoming album will be worth a listen - but only if the low menacing growl of the live vocals hasn't reverted to a not quite Born in the USA transatlatic drawl in the comfort of a studio. The future hit single closed the set to audience appreciation, with a few new fans being won. As the tiny stage was cleared for the main event, there was an air of anticipation in the room which I'd not felt at a show in ages. Perhaps it was the combination of decent (albeit bottled) beer and - rare for me these days - company to chat to while waiting, but I was really enjoying this evening when I'd usually be nervously pacing the venue feeling uncomfortable and out of place by now. Suddenly, and with apparently no effort whatsover, ASIWYFA took to the stage and began to make an incredibly beautiful noise. I love the way this band appears to have no pretensions whatsoever - there is little chat, no vocals to cloud the issue, and on-stage antics are confined to the paroxysms required to coax wonderous riffs from the guitars. The recent "Letters EP" was aired in near entirety - with "S is for Salamander" making an early and absolutely monumental appearance. The sound was far from perfect - but any louder and The Cooler may just have collapsed around us. But ASIWYFA are not all about loud/quiet instrumental cliches - and the intricate, sometimes near orchestral passages of clever drum and guitar interplay sounded just as clear and crystalline live. Add to this the drummer's shirtless performance, and I think some people were definitely converted to the cause! I don't think that ASIWYFA will be playing anywhere near as tiny as The Cooler next time around. The set closed with the staggering "Set Guitars To Kill" - this was always going to be the track which hooked people, with it's provocatively silly title and amazing twists of thunderous racket and intricate melody. The Cooler erupted to it's footstomping intro tonight too, with random outbursts of dancing - never a big feature of Bristol gigs given the reticent audiences here. Out into a strangely warm Park Street night, ears ringing and feeling strangely happy. I had to be up in only a few hours time, and still had a potentially tricky train journey home tonight to face - but I was incredibly glad I'd made the effort to see this band, particularly in such an intimate setting. I've never aspired to write reviews, my early efforts being torturous amalgams of other's voices and styles - but the message here is buy the records and see the band. You won't be disappointed, even if it's just a cynical attempt to view the shirtless drummer!

Holidays! A four day weekend means a chance to travel. Planned to bash the Bristol diversions tomorrow, so purchased a 3-in-7 Severn, Avon & Wessex Rover. Plan to get as much out of it as possible.

Set off with no plans whatsoever - since I'd revisited lots of routes on the same ticket earlier in the year, I felt no burning need to be anywhere. Weather was fantastic, a bright and warm spring day. Found myself at Gloucester, waiting for a wander along the Stroud Valley. Almost summer-like on the southern slopes of the Cotswolds.

From Swindon back to Bristol, just in case the Class 31s ran. They were out yesterday as today was a Bank Holiday, but dare not miss out. They didn't run, but my journey back to Bristol was on 43130 Sulis Minerva. I used to chase this one around years back, and I was surprised I hadn't seen it in recent times. I'd even perused lists of withdrawn and stored stock in fear it was for the scrapheap or something! Also very pleased to see that it had retained its nameplates despite being repainted into FirstGroup livery.

A quick blast down to Westbury to see 31128 - newly arrived and out yesterday much to my dismay! Thence Taunton, and a quick out and back trip to Newport to see what was happening at Filton in view of tomorrow's blockade. Work seems to be progressing - platform footings are almost in, trackwork ready for laying, signal posts lying ready for erection. Going to be a busy weekend by the looks of things.

Exhausting day. Met people in the pub later, and yawned my way through a couple of pints. Hungry and tired on getting home.