so while some of us headed out into the megalopolis, midweek to test a new central london bar (that’s taking corporate social responsibility to its most selfless end) and others stayed in and took care of the blog (and their tiredness quotient) extolling the virtues of a quiet night on the sofa and off the booze, the following night saw some of the latitudes heading out on a school night to support our favourite yankee minstrel, mr j.tillman while he woo’d an audience of journalists and folkies on this current tour with jesse sykes.

even though the wilds of sheperds bush was not being done any favours by the weather, our merry troupe made it to the venue in plenty of time to catch the forty minute set, which ended with a song dedication to horselatitudes.co.uk (our first… and you know what they say, you never forget your first). more beers and probably far too many cigarettes later we were hanging in an hl local’s sister pub (the defector’s weld) and i found myself in the somewhat enviable position of sharing a table with not one, but five beardy guys all crazy-stuck on music and happy to chat the night away.

suffice it to say that tillman’s as sweet a guy as his voice betrays and its a pleasure i look forward to having again in the autumn, to hear him sing live all over again. weeks of on-the-road boredom, duty-free lucky strikes and rock cliche drinks don’t dampen josh’s voice any and his eyes-wide-shut journal-entry* songs filled the tatty baroque of bush hall, even if his sideline comedy stylings fell on deaf ears.

*not his diary, mind…

despite what i said last week about talking heads quickly becoming the hl’s most blog’d you know i’d never let the seattle-side down, and if you’ve not bought the double reissue of i will return/long my you run, j.tillman currently out on fargo records then get to it, immediament.

rather than give away yet more of his music for free we’re going to dedicate a song back to you, josh.

so here’s the rotary connection’s version of the band’s the weight, which although it’s kind of lighter and frothier does feature a rather awesome drum sound (not that i’m ragging on levon fo’ sho, bro)