The Sheepdogs @ Point Éphémère, Paris

Most music fans under a certain age missed the original wave of Southern rock, country rock and seventies FM radio by several decades. The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bad Company and countless others belong to another era. The Sheepdogs understand that tradition intimately, but what makes them interesting is that they never approach it as an academic exercise. Their music feels lived in rather than reconstructed.

The influences are impossible to miss. The guitar harmonies, the vocal arrangements, the grooves, the songwriting and even the band's visual presentation all point toward a very specific lineage. Yet there is a sincerity to their approach that separates them from revival acts. The Sheepdogs are not attempting to recreate a vanished moment in rock history. They are writing new songs within that vocabulary and expanding their catalogue one record at a time.

That catalogue continues to grow with Changing Colours, arguably the strongest album of their career to date. Several songs from the new record feature prominently in the set and sit comfortably alongside older material. Packed into the hot and crowded confines of Point Éphémère, the audience responds enthusiastically to both.

A significant part of the band's appeal comes from guitarist Jimmy Bowskill. His playing combines blues, country and rock influences into a style that is both technically impressive and deeply musical. More importantly, his interplay with singer and guitarist Ewan Currie gives the group much of its character. The harmonized guitars and vocal arrangements remain central to the sound, but they would mean far less without the songs supporting them.

And that is where The Sheepdogs ultimately succeed. Influences can attract attention, musicianship can sustain interest, but songs are what endure. Track after track, the band demonstrates a knack for memorable melodies and choruses that feel instantly familiar without sounding recycled. By the time they close with a spirited rendition of "Ramblin' Man," the distinction between inspiration and ownership has become almost irrelevant. The song fits so naturally within the evening's repertoire that it feels less like a tribute than a conversation between generations of musicians speaking the same language.

Setlist: