A newspaper in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, once described Leon Bridges as someone whose “music sounds like he looks,” and they were spot on.
When he appeared to a sold-out Iveagh Gardens, resplendent in a light blue demi safari suit and oversized shades, the handsome 36-year-old looked like he’d just stepped out of an early 1970s episode of . Even if you happened to be wearing earmuffs, you could’ve still hazarded a fair guess at what he was hawking.
Bridges has released four excellent albums in the last ten years, veering from Motown stomp to progressive R&B, and last year’s *Leon* is his best yet, a rich southern soul stew with even a hint of Van Morrison about it. He got down to business with two of its strongest cuts, the Marvin Gaye-ish and a marvellous “trip down memory lane” with , a tune which evoked the Isley Brothers at their breezy best.
His superb seven-piece band were groovier than a new set of tires from the off, but Bridges’ voice was equal to them, smooth as silk at the mic in between bouts of rug cutting to the Hammond swirl of or the bass-driven Northern Soul chug of .
“What’s up Dublin? Make some noise,” was pretty much the extent of his inter-song patter, and even though Leon isn’t quite up there with his idols in the showman stakes, it didn’t really matter as he testified his way through songs as great as .
Sadly, while every soul present was on Bridges’ side, the weather wasn’t. Once the serious rain got started, it didn’t let up, which always puts a damper on an outdoor show. Still, two of his collaborations with fellow Texans (and hipster Shadows) Khruangbin – and a well-received, if unfortunately titled, – did their best to keep spirits up.
Better again was a three-song run from 2018’s **. , , and all proved irresistible, taking us from the discotheque to a head-nodding jazz club to a Pharrell Williams/Nile Rodgers rump shaker. The latter even had his two guitarists temporarily going Disco Lizzy as they harmonised lines. Shapes were thrown by smiling faces despite the downpour.
, a moving, gospel-tinged plea for spiritual renewal, found the sodden crowd in fine voice. reminded one of Paul Simon’s world music forays, and the closing is a love song Sam Cooke would have considered a good day’s work. Bridges offered his thanks for us putting up with the rain. He was worth a soaking.
