"I suppose I should throw in a bit of a jig at this point,"

teased vocalist Margo Timmins - a striking Rula Lenska cum Marianne Faithfull hybrid - "but I won't. That's not what we're about, we're all about heartbreak and misery."

The Toronto-based trio delivered melancholic angst in style, with Timmins's sultry vocals perfectly pitched against a melodic backdrop infused with bittersweet harmonicas and the occasional poetic strum of a mandolin.

The Cowboy Junkies have been gigging for more than 20 years yet remain on the cusp of big-time commercial success. Choosing to ignore (largely) the obvious Trinity Session repertoire that acquired them a cult following back in the late Eighties, they opted for a selection of haunting numbers from their forthcoming album, At The End Of Paths Taken, displaying an enduring capacity to bewitch and beguile their audience.

It's rare for a band to inspire self-indulgent reflection, but this acoustic set defied anyone not to succumb to long-forgotten memories of romantic poignancy and lost love; the only things that seemed to matter on the night. Introspective folk-laden meanderings liberally laced with disillusioned lovers might not sound upbeat, but take it from me - it rocked.