On a balmy mid-week evening, the rustic cabaret vibe of The Gov provided the perfect backdrop for Tucson Arizona’s Calexico. On tour to promote new album Garden Ruin and ably supported by Melbourne’s Whitley, the band’s first trip to Adelaide saw them completely at home surrounded by a large contingent of loyal fans, corrugated iron and happy sweaty dancers.

First to take to the stage, however, was Lawrence Greenwood from Whitley, quietly enticing the audience while accompanying himself on electric guitar. He then informed the crowd that on the way to the show the group’s lead guitarist had dramatically ‘freaked out’ and quit.

That left the remains of the band to add bass, drums and keyboards to an experimental folk country mix. The group coupled moody and mellow melodies to Greenwood’s dynamic vocal range on songs like high rotation single Lost in Time. A brief cameo from Calexico’s Paul Niehaus on pedal steel also added a bit of extra country ‘yaw’.

The crowd responded well to Whitley and were given an insight into how they might have sounded with their absent guitarist when Greenwood narrated, then vocally improvised, the missing guitar solo from their closing song.

Calexico then took to the stage with the kind of strut, swagger and confidence that usually attaches itself to high quality musicians. Having formed the core of the band since it’s inception more than a decade ago, it was appropriate that singer-guitarist Joey Burns and drummer John Convertino should get things underway with an instrumental jam that Burns labeled Meditation in F-sharp.

They were soon joined by the rest of the band for a swinging and rollicking journey around the global musical landscape. The set shifted seamlessly from whispered confessional to yelping Mariachi trumpeting to ominous rocker to laid-back country drawl… usually in the span of a single song.

Burns highlighted the band’s kinship with musical diversity early in the evening, dedicating the blistering Across the Wire to the artists and musicians of WOMADelaide. This affinity was obvious as everything from xylophone and piano accordion to maraca and electric guitar was handled with skill and respect.

New song Cruel impressed, and as the evening went on Calexico continued to build momentum. That momentum was transferred to the large, appreciative and increasingly active crowd. By the time surging closer Crystal Frontier hit full stride, few seats remained occupied as audience members surrendered to an overwhelming impulse to dance, clap and cheer along.

An insistent roar demanded an encore, and Burns and co. rewarded the enthusiasm with three. In appreciation of a lively mid-week crowd they even threw in audience request Ballad of Cable Hogue.

With solid support and such a compelling high energy show, it can only be hoped that Calexico make good on Joey Burns offer to visit Adelaide again. Soon.