With a band handpicked from The Raconteurs, Dead Weather, Hacienda and Constantines and lead singer Dallas Green formerly of post-hardcore band Alexisonfire, you might not have expected the tender melodies and poetic lyrics the Brighton Dome experienced on Tuesday night.

City And Colour was started by Canadian-born Dallas Green as a side project but through word of mouth the band grew into selling out gigs, with several Juno awards and a global following.

The harmonies were reminiscent of Crosby, Still, Nash and Young, with Dallas’s vocal style being particularly reminiscent of fellow Canadian Neil Young.

The band mixed alt-country similar to Ryan Adams, with David Gilmour-sounding rocky guitar flourishes. At times it felt like the momentum of the band would cause them to disintegrate their instruments but they always transitioned into the softer moments with ease.

By his own admission, Dallas’s public speaking isn’t his strong point and he slightly awkwardly engaged the audience for a few minutes before he strapped on a harmonica for Body In A Box. For a song with such a macabre sentiment, he managed to play it with a romanticism that got the loudest applause of the evening.