All eyes are on Matthew Jay, Food Records' latest signing. His debut single, Please Don't Send Me Away, was recently Mark and Lard's record of the week on Radio 1, and the assured, alternative folk of his Four Songs EP has already garnered favourable reviews.

Here the 21-year-old from Abergavenny is understandably nervous. The place is packed with a "look and see" crowd who have been contentedly chattering throughout the previous act (a group of men enthusiastically strumming acoustic guitars). Jay perches uncomfortably on a high chair on the tiny stage, says: "Phew, it's fucking hot in here," in dulcet tones, and launches into Four Minute Rebellion, a song that packs a punch with its intricate guitar work and an engaging mix of vulnerability and braggadocio. "You're breaking my nose from 25 feet," he sings and, for the moment, holds the crowd's attention.

Then the band come on - the bassist, drummer and keyboard player - to normalise the proceedings. Jay's wavery, gentle voice doesn't match the power of his guitar-playing, and the band submerges his quirky style. He races through a smoothly melodic Please Don't Send Me Away and a driving, upbeat I Hope She's All Right. By now, though, the crowd are discussing what they had for dinner. Jay wins them back for the slower-paced, more intriguing song Meteorology, with its laid-back 70s feel and metaphorical references to the weather, but shifts again into cheery and chirpy for the penultimate number, sounding like a cross between The La's and Elliot Smith.

The short set leaves little time for Jay to overcome his nerves and get into his stride. It isn't until the end, when the band leave the stage and Jay performs the last song alone, that you feel the strong, subtle force of his music. He finishes with a percussive strum, murmurs "thank you" and disappears through the exit as fast as possible. This boy has burning potential and an ear for McCartney-esque melody. He just has to learn how to project it.

Matthew Jay plays The Social, Nottingham (0115-950 5078), on February 15