*****

Despite each potential cliché Kevin Morby threw at his second performance in Brighton, nothing seemed able to stop it from becoming one of the most visceral, life-affirming shows in the city this year.

With a bootlace tie, cowboy shirt, a look akin to Val Kilmer in The Doors, and by covering Townes Van Zandt, Morby could easily have driven his four-piece down an indulgent country-heavy cul-de-sac.

But he breathed aggression and precision into tracks from this year’s excellent Singing Saw album, and the results were breathtaking.

Just like Wilco in 2001, he flipped the often stoic Americana genre into something self-aware, occasionally deafening and strobe-like but consistently well honed.

As-yet unrecorded songs even impressed the crowd, and the older tracks showed a clear lineage to where Morby’s music finds itself today with clarity and plenty of beauty.

Even when he stepped out towards the close (minus backing band) his sense of rhythm and economy with song structure and trimmings made for a complete thrill.

Anyone who bought a ticket on the strength of Singing Saw alone left doubly impressed while long-term fans (who were vocal throughout) wore “I told you so” faces.

Near perfection.