Todd Snider at the Borderline

Todd Snider at the Borderline

My son and I share genuine fandom for Todd Snider, the self-described “stoner folk singer” from Nashville via Oregon who sings songs about the politically weak and the permanently frazzled which are funny, beautifully written and always very, very clever. And last night we finally got to see him, in the flesh, at the Borderline in London.

He didn’t disappoint, but then he never does. He performed a few new songs – one about a man helping a younger man who is running from the police, another about how perplexingly angry all the kids seem to be today – and seemed genuinely to be enjoying himself. The crowd was a mixed bunch, the highlight being a mother and her daughter who were right down at the front, the daughter closing her eyes and mouthing all the words to the best known hits, the mother shouting out “Doublewide Blues” when Todd asked us what we wanted to hear. And Doublewide Blues just happens to be Todd Snider’s best song, in my not-so-humble opinion.

Thanks for coming to London, Todd. Come back soon.

Two guitars and a harmonica - it's all a guy needs