Seven years ago I hadn’t heard of the band Idlewild or their lead singer Roddy Woomble. Adam has introduced me to a lot of new things over the years, including new (to me) artists and encouraging me to rediscover my love for live music.

In October 2017 we went to see Roddy perform at Islington Assembly Hall. I’d already fallen in love with his voice on the album My Secret Is My Silence, with the title track being a firm favourite, and seeing him live brought another dimension to it and firmly sealed him as one of the artists I would listen to on repeat.

I missed live music during lockdown, but it was a gig at Union Chapel that became my first post lockdown gig in October 2021. Having been entertained by Roddy from the comfort of his home in the Inner Hebrides to our home in Camberwell thanks to Instagram, it was great to see him in person again. It was quite a last minute decision to book tickets but I’m glad we did. It was a venue I’d wanted to check out for ages, and we got there early enough to get front row seats.

In December 2022 we went to see Idlewild at the Kentish Town Forum as they toured to celebrated the 20th anniversary of the release of The Remote Part.

Last night we ventured to Oslo (in Hackney not Norway) on a Monday night to see him on his Almost Nothing tour. Another new (to me) venue and a perfect venue for a chilled evening of live music, where once again I was right up at the front of the stage.

Unlike many front men, Roddy comes across as a very shy and timid character in many ways, disappearing (quite literally last night due to the smoke) off stage during the instrumental moments of songs. Yet at the same time he has a wicked sense of humour and his Glaswegian drawl adds a special something to his jokes. He’s a man of few words on stage, but then I guess he lets his songs speak for him.

It’s occurred to me there’s only one artist I’ve seen live more times, and that’s David Gray, though not for a number of years. I would happily see Roddy live time and time again.