Live Review: Willie Watson, My Bubba, Imogen Clark

To a smattering of punctual punters, Imogen Clark, accompanied by her father on bass, rode a wave of post-Nashville jet lag to showcase songs from her debut album and a preview of her next one. She's a bubbly, confident performer who nailed her songs with a professional approach, but one senses she's still peeling back her artistic layers and refining her craft. It'll be interesting to see whether she gravitates towards the polish of Nashville or the grittier, darker side of the road.

Scandinavia has always had a deep appreciation for country and folk music, believe it or not. My Bubba is the latest in a long line of acts who put their own unique twist on American roots music, invariably adding a fresh take on traditional sounds. Beginning with an a cappella folk song, accompanied by synchronised hand and body clapping, they drew the audience into their performance. Fleshing out their songs with guitar and a Norwegian Cittra (lap harp) the clean-cut duo's sweetness was a smokescreen for dark subject matter and a gentle gothic-noir mood, mixed with a line in dry humour.

A frequent visitor to these shores in recent times, Willie Watson knows how to command a stage and pace a set. He knows when to switch to banjo, but not too often because "too much banjo can make you feel nauseous". He knows when to detour into telling tales of racist ex-bandmates and a Melbourne woman with a bee in her bonnet about the subject matter of his songs. Uncomfortably, he also revealed he's been dealing with nerve damage affecting his left hand and the difficulties it presents in performing live. Little in his playing suggested that, though, as his percussive guitar playing and fast, rhythmic banjo picking were as strong and commanding as always. The audience responded to his ingratiating stage manner with whoops and hollers and singalongs on songs such as Stewball. He left the half-full but enthusiastic room with his take on what has become his signature tune, Midnight Special, and a special encore, accompanied by My Bubba, of a wonderful and restrained version of Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.