TOMMY Hale is no stranger to this town. He may be more usually found holed up in a studio in Texas but every few years he seems to wander on to the local radar, normally with a new album to shout about and a bunch of local musicians to help him do so.

Well, he’s back. The album is the called Magnificent Bastard, a blend of alt-country, punk, pop, soul and rock and roll and the band are forged from the cream of British-Americana such as The Snakes and Redlands Palomino Club.

The term Americana is a broad and broadly misused one, but Tommy seems less interested in wandering roads through either fickle fashion or current convention and instead uses music hall vibes, bar-room busks and bluesy rock’n’roll as a vehicle for some of his most intimate and confessional music to date.

The local fixture on this latest jaunt is The Rolleston, the perfect place for the collision of American confidence and British musical deftness that are at the core of these magnificent… people.

The support also features a few leading lights of that same circuit in the guise of Creedence Clearwater Revival Revival, a wonderful reminder of the brilliance of their ‘60s swamp rock namesake.

In a week when there is a lot on offer musically speaking, this is a show that you are not going to want to miss. Trust me, I’m a journalist….sort of. Dave Franklin