Jesse Malin
London Islington Assembly Hall
A magical performance following his career-threatening stroke.
Strange to think that the last time Jesse Malin was playing here in Islington he was standing atop the back bar of The Garage venue, his elongated mic lead stretched out over the heads of the sold-out audience. We all know the story since then: on May 4, 2023, Malin suffered a rare spinal-cord infarction – a stroke in his back – while having dinner. “I thought it was sciatica, and then I was on the restaurant floor,” he recalls of that night now.