Ryan Adams - London Brixton Academy

Last night, the beyond-prolific Ryan Adams hit town along with his band The Cardinals for his only London show of this tour.

Before last night I had not been lucky enough to see the man in action, and part of me wondered what was going to happen. Ryan has a history that goes before him: walk-offs, onstage tantrums, arguments with the audience, and the admitted (and now overcome) drink and drug problem. Last night though there was none of that.

It took him a while to get going but once he did he was off, laughing and joking with crowd and the rest of the band. Introducing songs by shouting, “Here's another song about being really fucked up,” the audience was in the palm of his hand. The stage and lighting were impressive – a monster of a drum area, two massive neon
Cardinal Roses signs along with the Cardinals’ peace bird and Ryan’s novelty over-sized amp, with knobs on it bigger than your fist.

There was no support band but no need for one as the set was a value-for-money two-hours-plus long. They even came back on to play 'I See Monsters' as an encore, Ryan declaring that he had been nervous before the show but it had been the best crowd that he'd ever had in London.

The set itself was a mix of new and old. The band were showcasing new album ‘Cardinology’ (review), was played almost in its entirety, but seamlessly mixed with songs like his cover of Oasis’ 'Wonderwall', 'Come Pick Me Up' and 'Let It Ride'. The band’s onstage jamming ensured the audience was kept very much engaged.

In my opinion Ryan Adams should be a much bigger star – he appears funny, charming, and is undoubtedly and almost unfairly gifted. If anything, a two-hour-20 set was not long enough.