Sincerely yours

elusive creation. The boundary between snide and sincere in his lyrics isn’t just fluid; it’s imperceptible. Whenever a song’s snark seems nearly over the top, the forthrightness of its execution makes you question whether it really could be as cynical as it appears. Tonight, FJM dispenses with identity straight away on the lush Everyman Needs A Companion: “Joseph Campbell and The Rolling Stones couldn’t give me a myth, so I had to write my own,” he asserts. He sounds just a bit triumphant as he sings to the town he left behind, “I never liked the name Joshua, I got tired of J.” FJM is big on gestures: cradling his guitar like a dance partner, crossing his arms, swivelling his hips (what was that line about the Stones?). Some feel so natural as to suggest his persona isn’t strictly a sham. Who could keep that up night after night?

Singer, songwriter, showman brings it all back home. By Chris Nelson.

There is, however, a sense of routine