Stars: **

Here is a man who has lived his songs. John Murry’s bluesy heartland rock cuts deeper than most: a former homeless heroin addict, the songs from his acclaimed debut album ‘The Graceless Age’ are real, often painful accounts of his former life.

Today, the small crowd assembled to see him are ready to be rapt, drawn into his world and be knocked out by the dark beauty of his songs - but the ‘big wow’ moment never really comes. Murry’s tendency towards constant self-deprecation almost detracts from the songs, bogging his set down with a gloom that is hard to shirk.

Perhaps that is also part of the Mississippi man’s appeal, but his set is unfortunately too intimate, too sluggish for an afternoon festival crowd.