Sturgill Simpson
Joe Pug
Islington Assembly Hall, 20 August 2015
At one point during his opening set tonight, singer-songwriter Joe Pug tells us that he wrote his next song in his angsty early 20s when he says most guys are at the most brooding. The following song though, a sad acoustic number, doesn't sound hugely different to the rest of his set. Pug is clearly a talented, amicable guy who appears to be as much influenced by Bob Dylan as Hank Williams and with his sweet and funny banter in between songs its hard not to like him. He certainly goes down a treat with the country-loving crowd in the Islington Assembly Hall tonight, a fact that rather endearingly even seems to surprise him, as he tries out a few quieter numbers due to how little chatter during his set there was, which is high praise indeed with picky London crowds these days.
