NO-ONE is talking finger in the ear but if you want to hear an acoustic set not drowned by pub hubbub, drop by Derby Singers and Songwriters Club at the Big Blue Coffee Company in Sadler Gate.

The 'club' was launched a year ago by musician Ian Gardler after he did a gig at the cafe bar and loved it.

"Most pubs have a band in the corner which everyone ignores. There are very few venues specially for bands, where acoustic performers can actually be heard."

Ian, 46, of Alvaston, is part of an acoustic duo called Rachel and the Lawn Grower. Rachel Watson, 33, is the one with the voice of an angel; he's the lawn grower.

"My wife, Jane, told a neighbour she grew the flowers and I grew the lawn, so the name sort of stuck."

The pair have been singing together since 2007 and have produced a number of recordings which can be found on MySpace.

"Rachel and I perform a sort of mellow set," said Ian. "We were desperate to find somewhere nice and quiet, where people actually listen to you, when we came across the Big Blue Coffee Company. It was perfect."

Ian negotiated to have the cafe bar once a month as a venue for acoustic musicians and named the gathering the Derby Singer Songwriters Club.

He describes the venue as cosy. It can accommodate around 70 "and has art on the wall instead of beer stains".

"We've only got one rule and that's that people only play their own stuff. They can't do covers."

The club began by hiring three bands but Ian reduced it to two to allow time for an open mic session.

"Last month we had a late teens acoustic pop singer, Charlotte Carpenter, who is really popular with students, followed by ex-Bivouac singer/guitarist Paul Yeadon, who sings acoustic indie rock. He's older, so his set appealed to more middle-aged punters – like me."

Next month, the line-up will be Prints in the Snow, an alternative pop band from the Nottingham area, and solo singer Yvonne Lake, a Loughborough student whose bittersweet indie folk melodies are carving her a growing reputation for originality, though she confesses her influences include Kate Bush, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Leonard Cohen.

"We've had some great musicians playing here over the past year," said Ian, who, due to a degenerative spine condition, now plays only a couple of times a year.

"One of my favourites is soloist Julie Collins, who writes all her own stuff, records it and puts it out. She will be playing in August."

A major achievement of the club's first year is a compilation CD of 12 of the artists who have appeared. It's called DSSC Acoustic and a link can be found on the club's MySpace website.

For Ian, the club is a labour of love. He said: "I don't want people to think it's a folk club. It's a venue for acoustic acts."

DERBY SINGERS & SONGWRITERS CLUB

WHERE: Big Blue Coffee Company, Sadler Gate.

WHEN: Thursday. Doors open 8pm. Open mic 10pm.

ADMISSION: £2.

INFORMATION: www.myspace.com/derbysingersongwriterclub.