Live John Butler has a reputation for being very zoned, very focused and for being an extremely skilled performer. The Australian roots and blues band are led by guitarist and vocalist John Butler with Jason McGann on drums and Gavin Shoesmith on bass.

It’s lights out; the crowd surge with excitement as the trio emerge from the dark red curtain. With only a quick wave to the sold out Glasgow Academy in acknowledgment, the instruments are fired up into a sound not normally associated with a three piece blues band…’soundscape’.

This is taken to an extreme almost immediately. It doesn’t feel natural for a band such as the trio to be making Coldplay noises, but it surely works well. The entire crowd are taken from their state of excitement straight into one of Butler’s most epic songs, ‘Revolution’. This is a brave move for any performer to start with an epic, however as soon as the words utter from Butler’s mouth he has the crowd in the palm of his hand. The band’s blues background and influences are easily heard cutting through the soundscape effect, which rings out.

The trio went on to showcase exactly what is so special about a three piece band; tightness. Song after song the band provides their polished, finished set. Not every song however was as much of a trip. The trio perform a song called ‘Devil Woman’, clearly about a certain female. This can be described as a swing/blues song. A very up tempo swing rhythm section with some extra pushed electric guitar licks and decoration and some deep harmonies. This was the point where the crowd goes from excited to bouncing.

Once again moving onto something brave, John on his own sits down with his signature 12 string guitar, for those of you that haven’t heard this man play before, he uses his guitars in unconventional ways to produce his songs. For starters, he plays a 12 string guitar with his long nails through a well driven electric guitar amplifier. This is normally a no-no however it’s what coins his sounds.

Glasgow always makes for a good crowd, they really know how to welcome performers. However, it is truly something special to watch three musicians command the stage in the way they did, given that there was not much showmanship – just simply three guys playing their instruments. It was a masterclass.