For me, Green Note in Camden Town remains one of the best venues in London. I have seen some great shows there in recent years, but it was my first time down in the Basement Bar, which makes the intimate confines of the main room upstairs seem positively palatial by comparison. If we were to talk about interesting characters with a story to tell, Joby Fox would certainly qualify, so Green Note was the ideal venue to get to know Joby Fox a little better.

Joby is promoting his second album, ‘I Once Was a Hawk…Now I’m a Dove’ which has been a long time coming, ten years to be exact, but the wait has certainly been worthwhile. The album was recorded in Denmark with a band featuring a host of young talent with backgrounds in jazz and folk. The combination of musical styles works beautifully on many levels. The listener can let the smooth sounds envelop you or dig a little deeper, and you’ll find songs that tackle Irish history and forced migration alongside more traditional love songs. Joby’s history in and around music and general life experiences have shaped who he is in 2023. In the 1980s, Joby had two brushes with major label success via post-punk act The Bankrobbers before co-founding the highly regarded Energy Orchard, who enjoyed chart success in his native Ireland with the Fox penned ‘Belfast’. In more recent years, he’s been involved in many humanitarian efforts, including co-founding Refugee Rescue, whose boat, donated by artist Jake Chapman and operated by a voluntary professional crew, has saved almost 20,000 lives in the Mediterranean. In 2016, he also became involved with the Orchestre des Réfugiés et Amis as its musical director providing opportunities for musicians with Refugee or Asylum status in Northern Ireland to collaborate.

Tonight, In the intimate confines of the Green Note, Joby utilized much of his personal history with songs that touched on many facets of his life with references to The Troubles in Northern Ireland and Brexit alongside a love song or three. A relaxed and engaging performer, whatever the subject matter, it was surprising to hear Joby tell us that playing solo was a rare seat-of-the-pants situation for him. Earlier in the evening, while tuning up before the show, he’d readily admitted to suffering from Imposter Syndrome, but on tonight’s evidence, he need not worry about that. It’s always interesting to encounter an artist promoting an album stripped back to acoustic guitar and occasional harmonica as it allows strong material to shine. ‘Don’t Come To My Rescue’, 'No Home’ and ‘I Love You’ were among a smattering of tracks from the new record that shone this evening. Elsewhere, Joby dipped into his musical history with Energy Orchard for a feisty 'This House Must Fall' and hit single ‘Belfast’ - written by Joby when he was just seventeen - while an unexpected and impromptu song about a crocodile pointed towards a successful career penning tunes for children’s TV if all else fails but, on tonight’s evidence, that’s highly unlikely to come to pass. In a live environment, Joby’s voice seemed stronger, a little grittier possibly, than on record. His vocals combined well with deft finger-picked guitar work as he pulled songs randomly from a set list that allowed him to follow his muse rather than slavishly following anything he'd previously set down on paper. An hour in the company of Joby Fox is time well spent.

Joby's new album ‘I Once Was a Hawk…Now I’m a Dove’ is available now to stream from all the usual places and on CD November 24th via Dimple Discs.

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