The Hot Club Of Cowtown are back together after a brief hiatus, bringing with them the finest Western swing sounds likely to be heard on these shores.
The three virtuoso musicians who make up the band, based in Austin, Texas are simply brilliant.
They don't try to compete with each other or over-complicate their sound.
Ably backed by new member Damien Llanes on drums, he is the driving blank
canvas over which Elana James (violin, vocals), Whit Smith (guitar, vocals) and Jake Erwin (upright bass, backing vocals) paint their sound.
Vocals are traded between Smith and James, with the latter's lusher tones often lent to the slower songs.
From the moment they launch into their old favourite Ida Red, you wonder if it will be a greatest hits show. And so it proved to be.
It is probably no coincidence they have an album collecting their finest songs out this month.
They played their set in two 40 minute sessions, breaking for a civilised interlude of 15 minutes, or what they called, their "liquor mission".
Songs, including jazz standard Georgia On My Mind, were played without any irony, just plainly and in a way that let their talents shine.
The band built the momentum so much that by the end, the crowd were whooping and cheering every song and even every solo.
If you don't know whether modern swing bands are your thing, then listen to this group. It's as close to an acid test as you will get.
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