The admission price for the sold out Bill Ryder-Jones show at the Scala in Lonodn was worth it purely for the in-between song banter between band and crowd. However, the highlight of the evening was the confirmation of Jones’ raw talent that has seen his popularity grow and grow since the release of his latest album ‘West Kirby County Primary’ at the tail end of 2015.
A near hour and half set was full of newer, semi-classic and even one brand new track that were more warmly received than the last by the crowd of cult like tendencies. Jones even obliged when he has heckled with requests, a nice touch for a man who was obviously slightly taken aback by the large crowd. Personally, having seen him last summer at Green Man 2015 on the Mountain Stage (That’s the main one if you weren’t sure), I was a tad skeptical. Although I was a big fan of the record, at Green Man I got the overwhelming impression that it all got a bit lost in the hoards of rugs, buggies, crying children and aging hipster that you’ll find on a sunny mid-afternoon at the Welsh festival. Maybe if he’d been moved into one of the smaller tents he would have been more warmly received. So to finally see him in London’s 1,100 capacity venue was a nice treat worth the wait and one that no one will forget in a hurry.
The first support came from Trudy, who only played to a handful of people so who am I to judge, and the excellent Beach Baby who are well worth 5 minutes of your time.
9/11
