Giddy at the prospect of a rare solo show without his usual backing band, Sonny Winnebago – aka Porthcawl-based Australian Harvey Jones – retains his relentlessly sunny disposition even when introducing a song about toxic relationships while here in Cardiff supporting Ryley Walker. He commends us for coming out and braving the Clash At The Castle crowds, gratefully claps our reaction to his performance, and apologises to bald punters for the insensitivity of a lyric about having to find someone to soothingly stroke your hair. Jones’ style may be too singer-songwritery for some tastes, but his evident glee at being on stage cannot fail to warm the cockles, and a fine cover of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game captivates the room.
Ryley Walker, meanwhile, is something of an enigma. A prodigiously talented guitarist as comfortable supporting legendary noisemongers Dinosaur Jr and collaborating with some of the luminaries of Chicago’s avant-garde jazz scene as he is sat around the metaphorical campfire paying homage to his British folk-rock heroes Nick Drake, Bert Jansch and John Renbourn; a serious, sensitive musician with an intuitive feel for his instrument who morphs into a goofy fratboy Jackass enthusiast between songs. “Last time I was here, I saw someone vomiting upwards – and that was a Wednesday night. Now Wrestlemania’s in town. I want to see what the human body is capable of.”
Such artists are only ever as good as their backing bands, and thankfully Walker’s in Cardiff is exceptional. The nimble basslines of Andrew Scott Young and deft drumming of Ryan Jewell complement the frontman’s fretwork and ensure that even the proggier and more protracted workouts remain buoyant, the audience applauding after each purple passage rather than waiting until the end of the song. Amid the Neil Young fanfic, a cover of XTC’s Knuckle Down constitutes a real curveball, but the trio pull it off with sufficient aplomb to assuage Walker’s worries that he might never be allowed back into the UK as a result.
If there’s a take-home message, it’s in the moment-of-clarity chorus to druggy reverie Rang Dizzy, the standout track from last year’s Course In Fable LP. “Fuck me, I’m alive” both acknowledges the enormity of simply existing and celebrates doing so. Watching Walker and accomplices work their magic is a suitably life-affirming experience.
Ryley Walker, Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, Sat 3 Sept
words BEN WOOLHEAD
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