Damien Jurado – Village Underground, London 03/03/14

“I’ve been joking that my tagline should be ‘Damien Jurado – best new up and coming artist since 1997’.”

It’s funny because it’s true; following the release of his 11th album, it’s fair to say the Seattle based singer-songwriter sitting humbly on the stage in his dusty green coat has not exactly had a meteoric rise to success. It’s clear though that after over 17 years in the industry, he’s consistently honed his craft to earn an admiration that’s almost palpable amongst the crowd, craning necks, packed in shoulder to shoulder in this East London venue.

The first half of the set is almost exclusively tracks from Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Sun, recently released on Secretly Canadian. The album has been lauded for the intelligent yet understated production from Richard Swift, yet it’s clear that Jurado’s real strength is a striking ability to tell stories through his songs. Although he adopts some clever tricks with delay and loop pedals, a gentle simplicity to his performance means there is nothing gimmicky here.

There are in places some broodier interludes to the set, with the bluesy strumming and deep moody vocals of ‘Jericho Road’ standing out from the often delicate plucked melodies that run consistently throughout. The subject matter of the songs is never particularly radical, regaling woeful tales of broken relationships and the structures are often winding and unformed. It could be difficult on paper to see what makes this singer-songwriter stand out from the hordes, however his live presence is consistently engaging. The emotion of his voice shines through and despite the somewhat cryptic lyrics, it’s difficult not to hang on his every word.

After thanking the crowd for the support he’s received for the new album, he continues through his extensive back catalogue, with old favourites from Maraqopa and Saint Bartlett eliciting enthusiastic cheers from their opening chords. Light-hearted, charismatic banter linking the songs creates a welcoming atmosphere despite the introspective nature of the music.

“I’m going to need some audience participation from the ladies” he understatedly quips, continuing “the guys can just sit back and enjoy it, but I guess you’re used to that” before leading the female voices in the crowd to provide the backing vocals to the melancholy “Planes to Crash”. Combined with the reverb affected finger picked guitar and pastel rainbow spotlights against the exposed brick arches of Village Underground, it feels as if the entire audience have been drawn into a bubble of Jurado’s making.

Finishing the main set with the beautifully simple “Working Titles” and a modest bow, he barely has time to leave the stage before the cries of ‘encore!’ ring out. He seems genuinely honoured by the experience, an increasingly rare sight in a world where many long touring artists often just appear to be going through the motions. It’s clear that Damien Jurado loves what he does, and his fans love him for it – something that could well still be true in another 17 years.