Reviewed by: Mix102.3
Review by Wade Howland | 06 March 2025

Sometimes the title of a show tells you everything you need to know. This is a man, with a ukulele, singing songs by Johnny Cash. If that sounds good, you’ll definitely enjoy this show.

And if doesn’t...you probably will too.

Ben Roberts clearly loves the music and provides context and information about both Cash’s life, and tonight’s 14 songs, making up barely 1% of his output. Roberts doesn’t try to impersonate Johnny Cash, instead he brings his own spirit and energy to the music.

Man in Black starts us off, and from there it’s a chronological journey through a remarkable career. Hey Porter, Folsom Prison Blues, Get Rhythm are played, and Helen from Blackwood Ukulele Club joins him for a ripping version of Jackson.

He gets through the verses of A Boy Named Sue without a hitch, delivering on a promise to high-five the front row, and the show ends with songs from Cash’s American Recordings series. The music is timeless, the performance energised and the sound perfectly clear as Roberts tackles the Cash catalogue with respect – and a ukelele - and the audience is with him all the way.