It’s Saturday night in February and I find myself once again in South Street on the strong recommendation of a friend that I really should go down and see Ethan Johns. So here I am, I have to say largely due to the artists track record as a guitarist and producer for such artists as Ryan Adams and Laura Marling, because I have to admit that I’m at this gig cold, having not heard any of his material and to be honest I have no real idea what to expect, and it would seem a large portion of the audience are equally unacquainted with his work.

As so often seems to be the case at these South Street events it appears to be a sell out. As I take my seat, with a table, this is gigging in comfort, I am pleased to see an intriguing stage set-up, I’m sure he’s playing solo but there seems to be an array of gear that could easily accommodate 3 if not 4 musicians. To the left there’s a mighty fine looking piano that wouldn’t look out of place on Neil Young’s stage, there are several vocal and instrument mic’s set for seated and standing, a fender amp, acoustic and electric guitars and the coolest tape machine that could have been swiped from the set of a 1950’s science fiction movie.

Ethan appears on stage promptly at 9, and ambles around with a slightly distracted look, as if he’s not quite sure where would be the best place to kick off tonight’s proceedings, it has the quality of theatre about it, feeling as if I’m just at the start of some intriguing play. Ethan decides that it’s best to start off seated, gently greeting the audience in a soft considered voice, I have to say that I’m am both impressed and slightly jealous of his mighty fine beardage.

His first number is a melodic finger picking number that immediately puts me in mind of Josh Ritter in his early years, before he went all Bruce Springsteen. This introduction is a beautiful subtle folk number, but if I thought with this first song I have him pegged then I am proved wrong with the very next number ‘Across The Valley’, which is more country roots/rock played on electric with a great riff running through it. This, it soon becomes apparent, is the way the set will ebb and flow, from soft and subtle, to dark and edgy, these are songs of light and dark but at their heart you always feel a positive message flowing.

As the set begins to roll and Ethan seems to relax into his set, loosing some of the early nervousness, the songs regularly switch in sound and style, there are a mix of acoustic and electric numbers and in the middle of the set a rather stunning number ‘Eden’ on piano, ‘The Turning’ introduces the tape machine with a pulsating rumble underpinning the melody, hats off to him for lugging that big bit of kit to the gig for one number, other bits of electronic gadgetry are introduced along the way, including where told, a box that contains the essence of Laura Marling for the track Whip Poor Will, but these are all used in a subtle way that always compliment the tracks and never swamp them.

As the set eases to its finale and we are warned that to avoid awkwardness there will be no encore, I find I have been thoroughly drawn into Ethan’s assorted mix of Americana with its English folk twist and warmed to his soft spoken slightly awkward charm, and man, that is a great beard.

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