Jason Isbell at the Union Chapel

Jason Isbell

Roseanne Reid 

Union Chapel, 28 January 2024

Years ago my good friend Dan told me that one of the guys from the Drive-By Truckers had released a solo album and said we should go and see his new band play their first London show at the Borderline. And that's how I came to see Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit for the first time back in 2008.

Sixteen years later, Isbell has released nine albums and become one of the most respected and acclaimed singer-songwriters in the world of Americana and country music and even branched out into acting, with a supporting role in the new Martin Scorsese film, Killers Of The Flower Moon. 

The last time I saw Isbell live was supporting Ryan Adams at the London Palladium and I remember his set was as brilliant as the headliner despite the fact that the place was half empty when he played. Wow, things really have changed in those intervening years. Adams is still out there touring and making music but ever since the sexual harassment allegations against him, the shine really has disappeared from his career and I must admit I've never felt the same way about him or his music. Isbell on the other hand just seems the real deal, musically and personally (even his marriage to fellow musician Amanda Shires is absolutely lovely and inspiring). It feels really fitting that these two intimate acoustic shows that were quietly announced just two weeks before were completely sold out (the other was at Cadogan Hall a couple of nights before) and, even getting to the venue early, I was met with the biggest queue I've ever witnessed at the Union Chapel.

Luckily I still managed to snag my favourite spot at the front of the chapel and rather nicely the support act, a Scottish singer-songwriter called Roseanne Reid, emerged nice and early. Apparently Reid is the daughter of Craig Reid of The Proclaimers, so that's some pretty big boots to fill. Her debut album was produced by another offspring of folk-rock royalty, Teddy Thompson, who has become something of a producer of note in recent years, so obviously she is moving in the right circles.

Her music is definitely more on the country singer-songwriter side of things, set apart by her husky voice. She sings love songs to her wife and seems very sweet. I hadn't heard her music before so nothing really made too much of an impression on me but she was a pleasant opening act nonetheless and got a nice reception.

When Jason Isbell quietly took to the stage the whole atmosphere in the chapel suddenly changed. Isbell is a big guy, definitely over six feet, but he also has a huge charismatic presence and from the moment he stepped up to the microphone it was obvious this guy is meant to be a performer, he is such a natural singer and has such ease with the guitar. Plus, I had forgotten just how funny he is. Since the first time I saw him he was full of stories and tonight it was no different, the funniest being his tale of a little girl whose favourite song was the murder ballad Live Oak, and his reassurance that the poor woman in the song might not be dead at the end and the horror on the little girl's face when she considered for the first time someone being buried alive!

His first song was asked for by an audience member, Relatively Easy, joking that he was getting the requests out of the way so he could play "whatever the hell I want." But it perfectly set the tone, with a set list heavy on tracks from the now classic album Southeasten, now celebrating its tenth anniversary, crazily enough. 

There's definitely a Springsteen-esque quality to his songwriting, and he even tells an amusing tale of meeting the Boss and Bruce telling him, "I like that one that goes, 'I've grown tired of travelling alone'" and doing a perfect Springsteen impression of him singing his tune to boot. Naturally he also gives us a beautifully emotional rendition of the song himself.

Elsewhere, If We Were Vampires, surely one of his signature tunes by now, goes down a storm and there's some great tracks from his more recent record, Weathervanes, notably Strawberry Woman and King Of Oklahoma. But the most emotional moment for me was when he played the old Drive-By Truckers song Decoration Day. I wouldn't have known about Isbell without the Truckers and it's always been one of my favourite tunes by them. I never saw him perform it with the Truckers, although I've seen them a couple of times since he left the band, so it was particularly wonderful to finally hear the man who wrote this special song sing it live.

Naturally Isbell is called back for an encore and there's a beautifully heartfelt version of Cover Me Up as our reward along with the rootsy and lovely Cast Iron Skillet from the new album. It's the perfect ending to a perfect show. I'm so glad I got to see this lovely surprise of a show and spend an evening with Jason Isbell again.