In a musical age dominated by bland singer-songwriters, Josh Ritter is a refreshing change.

The American looked like a trendy supply teacher in his jacket and open-neck shirt, but his country-tinged songs were certainly not dull.

The comparisons with Dylan and Springsteen are inevitable. The influences are there, and you can hear elements of Neil Young and Jackson Browne in his music.

Ritter is a warm performer and the atmosphere he created was the perfect backdrop to his songs.

Backed by a four-piece band - two wearing trilbies and one with an impressive handlebar moustache - he soon had the audience singing along to songs such as Empty Hearts and Right Moves.

At one point he had to contend with fireworks exploding on the seafront.

So he launched into a rambling monologue about watching Planet Earth and David Attenborough's "delicious voice".

Intimate and enjoyable.