Wednesday 29th August, Islington Assembly Hall London, His Golden Messenger. Next up Ryan Adams and he’s got his work cut out to top tonight. It’s a fitting end to a perfect night for a performer at the top of his game in amongst the crowd with us hardy souls providing backup vocals to him and the band. At the end of the song MC singles me out in the crowd (hey you the guy in the checked shirt) to advise the gathering that they will be reconvening next to me for their final unplugged sing-along ‘Drum’ performed in the round. They’re back on just before curfew to run through a Waylon Jennings cover. It’s difficult to pick a favourite tonight but Southern Grammar and Mahogany Dread do stand out. The songs are punctuated with asides and anecdotes, a pop quiz and almost a Skynyrd tribute. MC reminds me from his mannerisms down to his white telecaster of one of my all time favourite artists Chuck Prophet and thats high praise from me. Phil Cook really is a talented musician both on the slide guitar and the organ and he provides the perfect accompaniment to Mr Taylor. The songs are transformed from the album with an energy you get from ‘plugging in’ with many extended grooves. What follows is 100 minutes of country rhythm n blues, if there is such a genre, from a tight band with tracks largely culled from their latest album. It’s a nice trick and one of the best openings of a gig I have seen for ages. They walk through the crowd to the stage, playing and harmonising and continue seamlessly with the song while plugging in not missing a beat to crank it up and jam out for a full ten minutes.

The audience turn as one to find the band in a corner at the back opening with ‘Brother do you know the Road’ that until this week had no physical album to sit on. The lights dim and we hear a quiet acoustic guitar and voices coming from the back of the hall. Tonight he’s plugged in with a full band with Phil Cook sitting in on guitar and organ. We saw MC Taylor (aka Hiss Golden Messenger) solo acoustic last year and it was a moving, atmospheric set. Its impressive stuff although somewhat disconcerting as he is the spit image of Gary Louris.

Support is provided by multi-instrumentalist Phil Cook who has played on recent albums by Matthew E White, Kathleen Edwards and Bon Iver and we catch the last twenty minutes of his set. After a nightmare two hour drive to the ‘bush’ there’s little time for drinks and pleasantries and we’re off the venue.

Mc taylor hiss golden messenger