Herringbone John knows how light up an audience, how to get them started before a long luxurious day of music, there are very few that have that sense of calmness deeply imbedded into their souls.

We Shall Overcome had been the talk of the town all week, the abundance of bands that have made their way to be part of one of the most loved festivals but one with the most ideal of purest thoughts behind it was a staggering and sobering thought. The message spread, the word passed round that the music is a sure fire way to let people know that the world we live in at this moment in time is nothing short of rotten, a shadow of what a should be, a national disgrace that we have allowed people to get away with for too long.

The music may have been playing in other venues all week but with the Saturday day time being administered by Liverpool Acoustic, the figure of Herringbone John was the first rays of sunshine that the city found itself dreaming under as the turn of the world bid farewell to the last days of summer.

A mixture of Blues covers and polished, articulate originals dominated the first dip into the acoustic ocean for the crowd inside Sound Food and Drink, the doors opened wide in celebration of the auditory cool being offered and the pleasant surroundings that should be enjoyed by one and all, that society should be that equal.

Opening the day with the song Intercity Blues Train and a cover of The Rolling Stones track Jumping Jack Flash, Herringbone John threw down a metaphorical gauntlet to the outside world, one that insisted in amongst all the grace and thrill of the electric sets going on in the city that day, that the much loved and cared for acoustic session was going to take some beating.

With the Brian Jones song No Expectations, Hurry On Sundown, Crazy Paving and the Wilko Johnson track Going Back Home fulfilling the need for the groove of Blues early in the day, Herringbone John was certainly to be seen in his usual studious, earnest but playful self and it was a vision to endorse and lovingly support.

A great day for Liverpool Acoustic, one that was kicked off in style by Herringbone John!

Ian D. Hall