After just getting into the UK by the skin of my teeth, I took a hot bath, napped and dressed for a concert performance at the Southbank Centre. I'm a recent fan of Martha Wainwright, whom I like very much. When I learned she was performing the night I arrived in London, I immediately contacted one of my exes to see if he wanted to go.

While I'm familiar with Martha, I knew nothing of her co-performers, Teddy Thompson and Shlomo. Teddy's a country performer and Shlomo is a "human beatbox" and resident artist of the Southbank Centre's Music Through Unconventional Means series. The Centre ran a short film prior to the concert explaining their mission. When the narrator noted that Shlomo is a human beatbox, my ex whispered in my ear, "a beatbox?" I whispered back, "Sorry."

Neither of us knew what to expect. I was curious to see how three very different artists would merge their sounds. The show was divided into two acts. First, all three performed individually. Thompson has a great voice, which even I can appreciate despite my general dislike of country music. Shlomo introduced Martha by saying, "This girl has some serious magic in her voice" and she does. Her vocals are heartrending and haunting. She performed some of my favorites such as This Life, Factory and Bloody Mother F**king A**hole, which she wrote in honor of her father, Loudon Wainwright, III.

Shlomo then took the stage. If I hadn't seen it and heard it for myself, I wouldn't have believed it. He began with "simple" beatboxing and then used a loop machine, which layers sounds. Without a single instrument, he created songs that sounded as if he had a full band performing with him. It was amazing.

During the second act, all three took turns performing together. Shlomo and Thompson collaborated on a cover of the Bangle's Walk Like an Egyptian. It was one of the coolest things I've ever heard, blending a funky jazz motif using Thompson's acoustic guitar and Shlomo's beatbox. This was no small feat given how cheesy the original 80's version was.

The rest of the collaborations were equally great, including when the trio performed a cover of Bob Dylan's Don't Think Twice It's Alright with Shlomo playing Martha's guitar and actually singing vocals rather than beatboxing. Don't know if these three will ever take the stage again together, but if they do, it's a show worth seeing.