The air of reverence in Whelans was at an all time high for the return of legendary folk and blues singer, Bert Jansch.
A long-time visitor to these shores, the gig marks yet another turn in Jansch's long, illustrious career - this autumn sees the release of a tribute album, People on the Highway - A Bert Jansch Encomium.
With those who cite him as an influence ranging from The Beatles and Neil Young to Bernard Butler and Noel Gallagher, the legend of Jansch had created a palpable sense of expectation among the throng. And they were not disappointed. After a satisfying crowd-warming set by support act Shay Cotter, Jansch took to the stage, and immediately got into his musical stride.
He comes across as an unassuming man who seems a little ill at ease with having to exemplify the phenomenal reputation that precedes him.
Despite this apparent awkwardness with his own legend, he is very comfortable as a performer. The backbone of Jansch's music is the lush virtuosity of his acoustic guitar playing, but what was most riveting about his performance was the power of the storytelling in his songs. His slightly gruff and unrefined voice sits a little incongruously over the accomplished guitar playing, but is perfect for communicating both his deeply personal lyrics, and the light-heartedness of his more frivolous tunes.
Although primarily a "folk" artist, Jansch interweaves blues and jazz with the traditional and when singing his blues numbers, he slides into a vocal incoherence that seems to be the hallmark of all the blues greats. This performance, however, was by no means a parody, nor was it simply an exercise in revisionist nostalgia. Because fashion is irrelevant to folk music, in a sense it will remain forever contemporary. With this concert Bert Jansch showed his own continued relevance, as well as the merest hint of genius.
