Russell Warby has quite the background in live music - he booked the first Nirvana tour while still a student in Nottingham and has gone on to work with some of the world’s biggest acts, including Foo Fighters and The Strokes.
He has always operated in the background whilst others took the spotlight - until now.
Russell - who operates under his surname, stylized as WARBY - finally gave into his muse this year, releasing the melody-heavy, astonishingly accomplished debut album Mystic Powers.
And so it was on a Friday night in his adopted hometown he found himself taking to the stage of Alphabet for his debut live performance.
He admitted to having had a sleepless night - the gig also coincided with album release day - but in truth he had little to worry about.
It was a packed and good-natured room, filled with friends and well-wishers. His band were made up of familiar faces from the Brighton music scene, including Penelope Isles’ Lily Wolter, who had been drilled to perfection.
Russell does not seem to have too many expectations of mid-life superstardom, jokingly apologising to his partner for the fact the money spent recording Mystic Powers wouldn’t be recouped any time soon.
But in truth these songs are so strong that they deserve to reach the widest audience.
Shortly after his Brighton debut, Russell was one of the opening acts at Dorset’s End of the Road festival, where our spies tell us his set was equally well received.
Mystic Powers is out now on all streaming platforms.