Nathaniel Rateliff @ Leaf, Liverpool, 24 January

For a man who’s recently released a new album – Falling Faster Than You Can Run – that's steeped in heartache and seemingly born of a deep sense of isolation, Colorado's Nathaniel Rateliff takes to the dimly lit stage in Leaf in excellent spirits, connecting with the eager crowd as he improvises an upbeat melody while the sound is sorted out.

In pork pie hat and neckerchief and accompanied by his band on cello, keyboard and drums, the bearded troubadour opens the evening with When You’re Here before going straight into the title track of his new album. Though the band's subtle arrangements add texture, Rateliff's lyricism always remains central – and his husky, melancholic drawl keeps the crowd silent in rapture.

Rateliff draws from truly American influences: Right On sees the band, with its gentle shuffle, operating more like a jazz quartet, while Still Trying resembles a ragged country song. “If you roll in it long enough / your shit won’t even smell,” Rateliff sings in between crying out, unaccompanied, “I don’t know / I don’t know / a god-damned thing.” As the set draws to an end, manoeuvring through country twists and bluesy turns, Rateliff’s introspective poetics leave the crowd moved.