Flame-haired Irish singer songwriter Fionn Regan unwittingly stumbled into public consciousness in 2006 when his debut, The End of History, was nominated for the Mercury Prize. It was a slow-burning record, the kind that few people actually heard, but everyone who did loved it so much they told their friends, who, in turn, told their friends and, well, you know the rest. He was compared to Dylan, to Neil Young and to every other singer songwriter of note. As a result of all this, Regan had built up quite a following, but instead of leaping on this and following up quickly with a ragbag of half-finished demos and songs written in hotels, he’s taken his time and only released his follow-up, Shadow of an Empire, this year.

Despite his extended break, he still has enough of a fan base to sell out the Jericho tonight and treats the audience to most of his new album. The most marked change is how much angrier a lot of the songs are: he’s made his name writing stirring ditties with witty observations and heartstring tugging melodies, but he seems to be able to do acid tongued, thigh slapping, rollicking songs with just as much poise and authority.

Violent Demeanour is aggressive and jarring and Genocide Matinée is delivered with real fury, making full use of the five-strong backing band he has with him. He doesn’t ignore his first album though, bringing out Hey Rabbit and Put a Penny in the Slot to offer respite from the ferocity. The two records, although seemingly dissimilar, sound very nice next to each other, showing there’s a lot more to Regan than albums of heartbroken ballads. It would have been easy for him to make another record like his first and settle into the comfortable groove that Joshua Radin and David Gray occupy, but he seems determined to achieve something more interesting, which is welcome news indeed.