Iron and Wine, Manchester Opera House 30th May 2013 8/10

My first experience of Iron and Wine live in 2011 was transformative, giving me faith in the power of live music to inspire. Sam Beam was suffering from a cold, yet this did nothing to dampen his good humour or he the melancholy magic in the music. That was only my third gig, and given the amazing live music I've seen since, I hoped more than nostalgia had drawn me to see them for a second time. Iron and Wine's latest album, Ghost on Ghost, has a fuller sound, and despite attracting favourable reviews I have found it a little low voltage and middle of the road. I was hoping that this would once again prove to be a band who have a different existence live, but the opening song New Mexico's No Breeze felt slack and lacking energy. Its style reflects 70's Motown and funk influences alongside their traditional Americana.

Yet I needn't have worried, since Sam Beam has a real gift of communication with the audience, his charisma casting a hushed spell. He doesn't dance vigorously around stage, wander far from his microphone, or ever look likely to jump off stage and join the audience. The power of this performance was in his sheer musicality, and particularly in a gift for melodies which sound utterly timeless. Sam's quiet humour quickly put the audience at ease, and provided a contrast with intensity of the songs. The audience listened spellbound, and incredibly intently; helped by the venue discouraging photography. In fact, despite the lack of formality from this former college lecturer, I was reminded of the rapt concentration commonly found at classical concerts. This reverential atmosphere was reinforced by the seated format and grandeur of the opera house architecture.

Sam remarked cheerfully that he'd only been playing with this band for two and a half weeks. The string trio, 3 backing singers, drummer, organ player, bass guitarist and particularly 2 saxophonists and a trumpeter filled out the sound. This reflects the production of Ghost on Ghost, yet to my taste many of these songs evoke a vaguely serene pleasantness, sounding too polite. Happily, Sam ranged widely through his back catalogue in the 20 or so song set. There is of course much pastoral beauty here, but moments of despair and torment gave a welcome emotional contrast. However, at the end of the core acoustic section of the gig, the new song Galveston (named after the Texas town) impressed more than much of the other new material. It was this section, when Sam dispensed with his band and took requests from the audience that was most moving, the highlight being Trapeze Swinger.

Sam's a modest performer, with a beautifully resonant voice. He explained self-effacingly: "Just because you read a bunch of books doesn't mean you're a complex person. I have pretty base emotions." Yet his lyrics make extensive use of poetic imagery, the product of a fertile imagination. Raised a Christian, he's now agnostic and the quiet power of his work can in part be attributed to his belief: "there's an undeniable unseen world that some people call God". Maybe this awareness helps Iron and Wine to create a mellow magic live, which is merely hinted at by their recent studio work. He kept thanking the audience for coming along; I'm sure many like me will be back when he tours his next album in Europe. Whatever you think of his new album, live Sam Beam is an artist who will sooth your soul.