It’s somewhat a night of community when Stroudies gather together for a night at The Sub Rooms. A relatively small town, having such a high calibre of artists means a great deal and people truly make the effort to be there. There will always be someone you know in the audience on whichever night you attend but tonight for Damian Lewis it felt even more of a community with many of Lewis’ local friends in the audience.

A sold out show from as soon as the tickets went on sale, The Sub Rooms in Stroud was buzzing with fans eager to hear his music live.

Damian and his band took to the stage promptly at 8.30 and were met with rapturous applause. Very happy to be there, Damian greeted his audience and began his set with a new song which I believe he said was so far unnamed.

From his debut album Mission Creep which was released last year, Lewis played the track Hole in The Roof next which got the crowd warmed up and ready for the rest of the show. The audience politely sat and enjoyed every minute of the show toe-tapping, head bopping and just overall moving in a very polite and British way, I was one of them and I love that level of attentiveness in a crowd.

Damian’s entire set was filled with songs off of the album such as Down In The Bowery, My Little One, Never Judge A Man By His Umbrella, She Comes, Wanna Grow Old In Paris, Soho Tango and more, as well as new tracks and an awful lot of great banter and unplanned comedic moments.

One funny moment being when he was introducing his song My Little One. As he was explaining the song being about an extraordinary woman he knew, his tech man Jerry arrived on stage to fix part of the drum kit, timing his moment rather well. “And of course I am talking about this woman here” Damian says and points to Jerry!

Accompanied by a truly exceptional band who were Amelie Watson-Backing Vocals, Phil Donnelly-bass, Dave Archer-guitar, Joe Webb-piano and Will Cleasby-drums, the evening’s show was that of brilliance and true entertainment! You simply couldn’t have asked for more! Full of blues, Folk-rock, Americana and beyond, Lewis is quite the showman! Watching how beautifully the band played, I for one was completely captivated by them, especially Joe Webb on keys and his pure ease of playing to such a masterful degree.

The Subscription Rooms is an amazing venue that pulls in some of the most talented musicians to date. Stroud may be a small town but it’s big on music and The Sub Rooms is certainly THE place to play at!