Ron Sexsmith
London Barbican
30th April, 2011

One line from Sexsmith’s latest recording sums his status up succinctly: “I’m a long player, my song is my saviour”. Toiling for 20 years, producing a raft of beautiful, romantic, melancholy tunes, he seems more respected by his peers than the public. Having gained what he calls “some momentum”, with the publicity surrounding the Bob Rock-produced Long Player Late Bloomer, he’s playing in front of a full house, who greet him like a returning hero. Sexsmith leads his four-piece into a careerencompassing 90-minute set, his voice holding up well against the swirl of piano, drums and electric guitar. The bulk of the new record is played, Get In Line, Believe It When I See It and No Help At All being highlights. A mid-set interlude with Sexsmith accompanied firstly by piano, then playing solo acoustic guitar, provides a nice mood change. Old favourites like Speaking With The Angel blend seamlessly with the more recent likes of All In Good Time, and a three-song encore including Every Time I Follow proved Sexsmith is all heart.