Forget tribute bands. There’s only one way to experience the spirit of Johnny Cash live now that he’s no longer with us – and that’s by going to see The Tennessee Three.
The name might not add up – there are five people on stage, two of which have drawn tonight’s close-to-sell-out crowd – but maths is the last thing on my mind as guitarist Bob Wootton and drummer WS ‘Fluke’ Holland lead the band through nearly 40 Cash classics at the Academy, Islington. I’d bought a ticket for a chance to just be in the same room as these guys – both of whom backed Johnny Cash in the original Tennessee Three line-ups (Holland since 1960; Wootton since 1968) – and pay my respects; I’m not prepared for such an authentic-sounding, searing performance, 10 years after they last played with Cash.