Inside a venue that appears more accustomed to brain drilling Powerpoint presentations and hyper caffeinated sales execs, it seems fitting that a slice of warm American country music should stoke the fires of the hitherto drenched audience on a wet Edinburgh afternoon.
Wilson Dixon is an America country music star with a difference. As he converses with the audience it becomes clear that he is a seasoned veteran of the country scene. He has a down to earth attitude which resonates with the crowd. Oh yeah, and he’s about to take the piss out of
cowboys and country music for an hour. There is also the suspicion that he might not be American.
Wilson Dixons’ obscenely well pressed cowboy shirt and pristine Stetson betray an easy manner on stage. His nuanced facial tics and knowing nods of self deprecation (or genre deprecation, if you will) allow the audience to ease themselves into his train of thought. Wilson Dixon is an immediately likeable character, which carries the show in spite of the material within occasionally struggling to maintain momentum.
The most appealing aspect of the show is that Wilson Dixon’s comedy is organic, and there remains a happy balance between the music and the laughs. He does not exploit the musical aspect of his show for the sake of a cheap joke, and he does not sacrifice the humour within the show to sanctify the musical content.
While his Nebraskan timber and brand new cowboy shirt are about as American made as the Statue of Liberty, he is a welcome imposter with a gentle comic warmth that dried the rain off of my back vey quickly.
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