Joe Sib is every bit the reformed punk rocker, his utilitarian outfit and slicked-back hair resembling an avuncular approximation of Henry Rollins. He also radiates a distinctly Californian sense of positivity, bunny hopping through his life with a near evangelical sense of wonder about the power of music and sense of community he discovered in America’s DIY punk scene of the 70s and 80s. A life on the sidelines of musical greatness gives him plenty of chances to humblebrag about time spent touring with Metallica and his record label SideOneDummy, which has released material from bands like Gogol Bordello.

He’s a likeable guide for any US rock aficionado, peppering showbiz run-ins (Eddie Vedder, Joey Ramone, Suicidal Tendencies) with curiosities about zines and punk blowouts in backyards. But circuitous anecdotes about his average upbringing and the loving relationship he shares with his dad do turn proceedings into a curate’s egg. Top tip for audience engagement: don’t dangle an anecdote about Metallica above their mouths then feed them 15 minutes about workaday life in rural California. This inability to raise biography beyond the mundane makes California Calling more filler than killer, but there’s at least a decent EP of material to enjoy. 

Joe Sib: California Calling, Gilded Balloon Appleton Tower, until 24 August, 9pm; main picture: Kim Newmoney.