Kenny Anderson, aka King Creosote, has the knack of unconsciously capturing hearts the moment he steps onto the stage: or in this instance hobbles in on crutches after he broke his ankle in a mysterious accident.

King Creosote may have been the main event, but the evening opened with soloist Gummi Bako, whose good-natured Bob Dylan-meets-Violent Femmes-wizard melodies harked back to the original Fence Collective vibe: caustic, heart breaking and funny all at once.

By turns poignant and bizarre, but always honest, Gummi admirably set the scene for a Mercury-nominated artist who injuries or no, is well-known and well-loved for his integrity, who works hard to deliver a performance based on honest, unflinching vocals.

New songs, such as Dial C for Cradle along with older favourites like Spy Stick and Jump at the Cats may differ in approach, but they retain a unique thread of sound which Anderson is adamant about retaining.

The injustice and rampant commercialisation of the music industry are problems Anderson feels keenly. During a break between songs, he points out how long it would take him to earn £100 from Spotify royalties: approximately 125 years.

“I sacked myself from my own record label,” he explains, referencing his recent shift away from Fence Records. A story put to words is intended to explain his broken ankle, but does it? No.

So King Creosote will continue to mesmerise audiences by giving them not what they want in a world of instant downloads, but what they need.

Review by Laura Hounsom