Atmosphere: Intense with a generous side helping of dour humour. John Grant excels at pinpointing the hard facts of life – heartbreak, familial estrangement, the bad accents of film stars like Winona Ryder – and spins them with a wit that is surpassed by few modern songwriters. The crowd loved it, too, surprising the Denver man by singing along with gusto to his droll tunes.
High: You'd have to have a heart of stone and a face of gargoyle to remain impassive at the sound of a thousand people enthusiastically sing the lyrics "Baby, you are where dreams go to die. I regret the day your lovely carcass caught my eye".
Low: Too short. We could have listened to Grant's swoonsome baritone for another hour, at least.
Verdict: Easily one of the best sets we've seen so far. Piano maestro Grant has one of the most unassuming, likeable stage personas imaginable – even his friends in Midlake, who watched, took photos and cheered from side-stage, looked like they were having a good time.
Star rating: ****
