The Tallest Man On Earth takes some bold strides at London's Koko

But this proved to be the antithesis of Matsson’s demeanour as he launched onto the stage at London’s Koko this evening (23 June). He seemed palpably ecstatic to be there. Maybe that’s because tonight’s show nearly didn’t happen.

“We were stuck in France today.” Matsson announced to the sold out crowd after opening the set with the country swagger of “Fields Of Our Home” and “Slow Dance”, the opening salvos from last month’s Dark Bird Is Home album, Matsson’s fourth full length, and his third for the Dead Oceans label. “We only just got here so we haven’t had time to soundcheck” he said, but bar a few anxious hand gestured towards the sound desk early on, the lack of preparation didn’t really show.

Things would have been less complicated had this been what could be considered a ‘regular’ Tallest Man show, i.e. Matsson performing solo with nothing but a few guitars to hand, and a chair. But tonight was part of a tour that sees him perform with a full band set up for the first time since his debut album, and given the voluminous orchestration on his new LP, it couldn’t be any other way.

Dark Bird Is Home contains some of Matsson’s most personal material to date, having been written during the breakup of his marriage, the songs are filled with pronounced bittersweet tales of loss and the odd bit of self-loathing. But the emotive pin points of the songs on record seemed to get lost in translation tonight. The sonically rich textures of “Timothy” and recent single “Sagres” fell a little flat as the crowd transformed from a simmering jostle into a tepid mass of static faces as the songs unravelled.

But it was at the mid-point of the set that Matsson showed what he’s capable of as a performer. As the band left the stage the single spotlight shone down and the opening notes of “Love Is All” rang out from a well-worn guitar, much to the adulation of the crowd. As the wave of cheers subsided, Matsson jerked and manoeuvred behind the mic as though he were possessed by a long lost Delta blues spirit.

The energy only seemed to increase as Matsson delivered a pitch perfect rendition of “The Gardner”, taken from 2008’s Shallow Grave closely followed by “Weather of a Killing Kind”. Amidst the hushed science of the anticipating crowd Matsson casually strode over to a small piano at the corner of the stage and delivered a starkly arresting version of Dirk Bird stand-out “Little Nowhere Towns”, the crowd palpably shifting in order to catch a glimpse. The slew of solo tracks showed Matsson truly in his comfort zone, and the audience was right there with him.

As the band returned for the final third of the show the sound amped up once again and Matsson delivered a run of new material, including “Beginners” and the infectious jangle of “Seventeen” before launching into the well versed live favourite “Wind and Walls” which was delivered with a powerhouse rawness.

Matsson’s new, fully realised sound has much in common with his label mates War On Drugs than his previous releases, and this came the fore when he returned for the encore and launched into “Where Do My Bluebird Fly”, a song that saw Matsson strutting around amongst the front row of the crowd before gleefully unleashing his inner Springsteen whilst brandishing a gleaming 12-string guitar. Capping off the night with a sing-along rendition of classic “Like The Wheel” accompanied by a charming acapella four part harmony from his backing band, Matsson looked both elated and exhausted, much like the majority of the crowd.

Tonight was a chance for Matsson to showcase his new material and the all encompassing full band arrangements that go with it, and he did so with undeniable verve and energy. But I couldn’t help feeling that it’s when he’s on his own that he operates best.