Foy Vance, Slaughtered Lamb, London

Given the slew of modern-day troubadours vying for inclusion on the latest Acoustic Love compilation, Foy Vance's growling voice and energetic delivery are refreshing. Cloth-capped and hunched over his guitar, his facial contortions make him look like a cross between Andy Capp and the groundskeeper in The Shining. His voice, however, really is impressive, and in a small venue like the black-walled basement of the Slaughtered Lamb in Clerkenwell it worked incredibly well.

For a solid hour and a half, Vance played tracks from his new album, Hope, the 2005 EP Live Sessions and the Birth of the Toilet Tour, and 2006's Watermelon Oranges. Many in the crowd – some of whom had clearly been to all four of his residency nights – were familiar with some of the new tracks. In particular, "Indiscriminate Act of Kindness" was greeted with a wriggling of excitement, many people singing along where they could.

Vance is, in fact, the son of a preacher man. Born in Bangor, Northern Ireland, his father moved to Oklahoma when Vance was very young, touring the southern states and spending time in Alabama and New Orleans. This period clearly left a mark on Vance, as it is the soul, blues, gospel and jazz influences that lend his set variety, from the funky opener "Be With Me" to the tender "If Only You Could See Yourself Like I See You" and uplifting "First of July" (written by his piano player, Jules Maxwell). The set also included pared-down versions of AC/DC's "Back in Black" and Hendrix's "Crosstown Traffic".

Vance's first break came when the popular US hospital drama Grey's Anatomy used a couple of songs from his demo: "Gabriel and the Vagabond" and "Homebird". The latter also featured on Pete Townsend and Rachel Fuller's Attic Jam compilation; in September the pair sang "Indiscriminate Act of Kindness" with Vance at Joe's Pub in New York, alongside Martha Wainwright.

While some of the set drifted out a bit, the highlights were well worth a look. It would be interesting to see how his voice would work with a bigger band and perhaps some brass. He certainly has the talent to carry it off.