Thanks to DuCool, yesterday I went to a free gig by Mr Walker. And very fine it was too. (Sadly my pal missed it. He was chilling out in a spa in Nacka. He must have been knackered.)

I saw Ryley last summer at Roskilde when he had an excellent, slightly jazzy band, with him. Yesterday he had to do all the work himself, and he did not disappoint. There’s an amazing, trance-like intensity to his performance: the lad can play the guitar. It’s impressive how he takes his many influences and makes something that is his own. John Martyn, Tim Buckley, Van Morrison ( he did a cover):all cooked up together to create something new.

The support act was Daniel Bachman, another fine, but far less flamboyant guitarist, whose restrained playing was rather lost on the noisy hotel foyer crowd.

I had a brief chat with Ryley at the merch table and he’s a charming chap. He was off to the bar and suggested that my voluptuous pal, Astrid, and I joined him. Boring old sod that I am, I made my excuses and headed off for the train to suburbia.

There is no doubt that he is Flavour » Continue Reading.