Earlier this week, Ryan Adams played London’s Royal Albert Hall with a full band. It was his first time fronting a backup group since 2009, and Adams made the most of the opportunity, tapping Don Was to play bass and Benmont Tench to handle keys. Both of those musicians are also rumored to be joining Adams on his new album, a Glyn Johns production with “more orchestral flourishes” than 2011’s understated Ashes & Fire.
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Adams and company played two new songs at the show, including an uptempo rocker called “In the Shadows.” We’ve scoured the internet for live footage of those new tunes, and we haven’t been able to find anything… but we have discovered a clip from an improvised song called “Loaf of Bread,” which Adams played after mishearing a fan’s request at the Royal Albert show. It’s not a serious song, of course — Ryan rhymes “our love has turned to dust” with “I always cut off the crust” — but it’s still a gorgeous folk-rock ballad, full or swirling organ and brushed percussion. With a new record on the way, it’s nice to know that our boy is still firing on all cylinders.
