Bustling like a school hall before assembly, Trinity opened its doors to alt-folk legend Daniel Johnston and Laura Marling of Mercury Prize fame. Having been sectioned back in the 90’s, this was Johnston’s first European tour in over a decade and with faces ranging from the cool kids to the down-right hippy-tastic (with a little help from Big Jeff) it seemed the night was well on its way. Support came from The Wave Pictures, a three piece alt-rock band from Leicester. Playing an array of angst inspired solo riffs and catchy choruses, the guys produced the perfect hype before Marling took to the stage.

As a glimpse of blonde hair appeared, the room erupted into a frenzy of yelps and whoops; quickly diminishing into a respectful silence. With only her acoustic guitar for company, Marling began her set with the well known ‘Ghosts’ and ‘My Manic and I’ from her debut album ‘Alas, I cannot swim.’ Performing them with new rawness and delicacy, she was able to keep the room schtum for the entirety of her songs. The rest of the set was dedicated to new material, which seemed to only engross the crowd further proving that Marling is going nowhere fast and definitely improving with age.

As the main event approached, much time was taken for the lighting to be correct on Johnston’s music stand (for his lyrics.) As the man of the hour stepped onstage, he decided to manoeuvre said music stand – much to the entertainment of the crowd and the annoyance of the lighting guys. Props aside, Johnston started the set solo; playing guitar in a style that can only be described as amateur. However, this is what gives the songwriter his charm – the absolute vulnerability of his lyrics take over any musical implications. Johnston is then joined onstage by his rather more cohesive guitar strumming college buddy and the members of The Wave Pictures to compile a somewhat more ‘substantial’ sound.

The set consists of a few Beatles covers as well as a tune from T-Rex, much to the sing-a-long delight of the spectators. Daniel performs them with such passion, showing that he hasn’t quite grown out of the teenage boy that first heard these songs on the radio. He continues to play more of his classic delights – even stopping a song halfway through claiming ‘he got bored of it.’ A tactic only he could get away with. The downfall of the performance comes from the lack of favourite tunes ‘Devil Town’ and ‘Grievances,’ but Johnston makes up for this with his quirky, unique approach to folk performance; proving that if he is crazy, so are his fans.