As frontman Henry Wagons himself professes, “a storm in Brisbane is quite an event,” which could perhaps explain the miserable turnout here at the Old Museum tonight.

Ever the humble showman, Wagons is not too concerned by numbers; rather, he regales us with tales of his first visits to this city ten years ago as an up-and-coming artist, playing the afternoon slot at the old Troubadour to virtually non-existent audiences, making tonight’s turnout for the band, Wagons, a considerable step up from those days.

The set kicks off at high intensity with Chase The Eclipse, which comes from his album of this year, Acid Rain And Sugar Cane, before taking a look back to his previous album, Rumble Shake And Tumble, for a high-octane rendition of I Blew It, which showcases the incredible musicianship of his band (who change in Wagons’ favour throughout the evening). While the band is impressive, it’s really all about that big, booming voice Wagons commands. When he talks, you hang on his every word. When he sings, you sing along with him. When he croons, the ladies swoon; he’s a born entertainer who shines on the stage, and tonight is no different. As if his songs aren’t entertaining enough on their own, there are countless times throughout the evening where Wagons draws on his surroundings to enhance his performance – most notably when he uses the number of upturned parasols hanging from the ceiling as decoration in the venue as a number to bet on the roulette wheel in his extended version of The Gambler. Amongst the laughs there are also some quieter moments – Moon Into The Sun sees Wagons’ band leave the stage, making for a more intimate affair, while his rendition of Elvis Presley’s Never Been To Spain shows that he is able to compete with one of the greatest crooners of all time. After presenting an array of hits from his back catalogue including Why Do You Always Cry, Goodtown and Keep Your Eyes Off My Sister, the set comes to a close with one of his newer tracks, Beer Barrel Bar.

It doesn’t take too much persuading to convince Wagons to come back on stage for an encore performance, which begins with a song written with Brisbane’s very own Robert Forster, I Still Can’t Find Her, where a band mate ably assists on vocals in Forster’s absence. For his final track of the evening, crowd favourite Willie Nelson, Wagons attempts to orchestrate a sing-along for the chorus, which takes a bit of work for this sleepy crowd, resulting in a shaming from Wagons for having to bail out of a weak effort. We do finally perform to an acceptable level however, meaning Wagons can leave the stage, safe in the knowledge that while small, this crowd has enjoyed every moment of his performance.