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The only thing that was really missing from my last review of the Long Insiders when they played at Denmark Street's 12-Bar Club was a five star rating. However, this time at the Troubador which has become their London home-from-home, the performance was near perfection and the five star rating was very much deserved.

The rawer edge that had been present in both venue and sound-systems of the last couple of performances was gone; but in its place was an assured, more refined edge, and a perfect sound reproduction that allowed the audience an intimate glimpse into every nuance of the Long Insider's stage-craft and song-writing.

Although the rawness had gone, there was still a dangerous edge to the conflict, tension, lust and passion that Sarah Dodds and Nick Kenny weave together on stage ...

The opening number was a new song Liar, and at once Sarah Dodd's powerful, emotive vocals had asserted her intentions for the night. Once again her sultry looks, coupled with the everpresent glass of white wine which she coolly sips between numbers, captured the hearts and minds of most of the male members of the audience. The contrasting facets of her performance from demure coquette to raging siren are
reminiscent of a femme fatale, wearing long black velvet gloves, innocently holding a silvered revolver.

Nick Kenny, the foil to her flirtations and seductions, played his Stratocaster with a precision and power that perfectly matched the highly stylised sound which best represents the soul of the Long Insiders. In fact due to the crystal clear PA I was able to really hear the subtleties of this virtuoso troubadour of the Americana sound... and I have to say I was hellish impressed. On numbers such as Shades and Sinner he played for all he was worth - like a man who was entering into a contract with a sultry Succubus who would be sucking out his soul in the not too distant future.

Simon Kenny, bass, and drummer Dan Goddard, were very much in the background. That being said, as a solid rhythm section, they provided the perfect platform for singer and lead guitarist to give it their all, as the sexual tension and emotional angst developed on stage, reaching its peak with No Baby No and another new song To The End.

As usual the finale song All the Tears was probably the pinnacle of the performance (although opening number Liar was a strong contender too!) but All the Tears does really showcase the Long Insiders very individual sound and displays to good effect the conflict of emotions being played out onstage.

The Troubador really feels like the natural home of the Long Insiders and the audience were indeed treated to a five star tour-de-force by Oxford's most individual and exciting four-piece.