Friday 16/11/07 The Kissaway Trail, The Autumns, Jacob Golden @ Leadmill, Sheffield

American solo artist Jacob Golden has been quietly touring the UK for the past year and now it seems he’s come full circle. Like a younger, gawkier Ryan Adams on ‘Zero Integrity’ he wryly observes on “20 something years I’ve made a mess of things”. ‘Out Come The Wolves’ shows his true potential, with a darker sound backed by Nick Drake baroque style guitars adding new depth to.

For some bands performance is everything, this is definitely true of The Autumns. They fling themselves wholeheartedly into the spectacle of the show, but without the gimmicks. Clem’s ear pounding drums combined with painfully fragile vocals don’t make for easy listening. While the wintry sleigh bells of ‘The Beautiful Boot’ seem strangely homely, ‘The Midnight Knock’ scrapes its fingers down the chalkboard before anyone gets too comfortable. At times it seems like accidentally walking into a production of King Lear, but it’s captivating all the same.

Backed by label Bella Union, The Kissaway Trail have slowly wormed themselves into the nations musical consciousness. The crowd tonight includes everyone from music scenesters to the lager drinking everyman. Following the tight, soaring harmonies of ‘Forever Turned Out To Be Too Long’ with the triumphant sway of ‘61’ they could almost end the gig now and still leave on high. As the staccato drum crashes rattle around the room one guy holds up a lighter ignoring the bouncers evil glare.

‘Smother+Evil=Hurt’ is part Flaming Lips chime meets childlike playground chants with a breathless energy that leaves Arcade Fire crashing and burning in its wake. The intimate quality of the venue makes joining in the sing-along to ‘La La Song’ all the more special as they feed off the crowds with joyful shouts. At time they have hints of Sigur Ros, as the swooping melodies of ‘Soul Assassins’ swell out and slide away whispering, "it all just feels right". As the lager drinker at the back says to his mate, "fooking magic".