They say you can tell a lot about a man by the company he keeps.
This Withered Hand and Friends pop shindig featured ace turns from indie master craftsmen Darren Hayman and Gordon McIntyre (aka ballboy), perfectly pitched compering from comedian Josie Long, and cameos from the likes of Meursault's Neil Pennycook and chamber-pop armada The Second Hand Marching Band.
While these stellar and erudite indie comrades go some way to expressing the appeal of Edinburgh's Withered Hand (alias Dan Willson), his visceral psalms could equally be allied with vintage folk-rock of a Neil Young ilk, or grunge and alt-rock in the vein of J Mascis. Yet his singular odes to (lapsed) faith, love and self-doubt ensure there is no-one quite like him.
Willson made his first appearance of the day at the Scottish Independent Label Market, providing Summerhall's Dissection Room with a lovely short set amid the excellent local records and rarities. It served as an enticing preview for Willson's evening appearance in a packed Queen's Hall, which saw our hero deliver sing-a-long favourites, including the existential alt-folk of Love in the Time of Ecstasy and the mortal thrash-pop of Heart Heart. He also unveiled new songs, including A New Case which was penned for Cora Bissett's cross-platform pop venture, Whatever Gets You Through The Night.
A brand new track, Jubilee, pulled the biggest punch, and it promises greater things yet of Withered Hand.
Willson played it tentatively in his afternoon set, and by the time he revisited it in the evening, it sounded like a pop-rock anthem. Amid the do-be-dos and melodic swoon was a memorable refrain, "I did it again." He did that alright.
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