Kelley Stoltz is a strange proposition.

Utterly beloved by fellow musicians on both sides of the Atlantic – Lawrence Arabia was in the audience tonight and they embraced afterwards, proving the incestuous network of under-the-radar cult artists – Stoltz has after six albums been firmly unable to force his way to anything beyond mild critical respect and the adoration of his peers, despite releasing on Sub Pop.

His last record Circular Sounds was superb, and its main single ‘Your Reverie’ stands tall tonight as an example of what the San Franciscan folk-rocker is capable of. A songwriter of some penetrating talent (while not quite being premier league – some of his songs are unimaginative plodders), his show here was never anything but affectionate and heartfelt, in spite of the fact he was very evidently leathered. This led to exuberant knees-ups with his band, yet also to rambling sub-charismatic monologues about something I can’t remember.

Thankfully he canned it before it became irreparably embarrassing, though the Borderline had visibly thinned by this point, ensuring the night ended on a slightly damp note – which was a shame.