Mojos homecoming

Mojos holds fond memories for Thompson, who was one of the first performers at the venue when it opened.

"Mojos just had an influence on my world through my 20s, I played so many gigs there, but I also saw a lot of amazing gigs," he said.

"It's a special venue for me as it's in my home suburb of North Fremantle, stumbling distance from the house where I grew up and where my family still live.

"In terms of how Ill feel playing there again, I've spent so much of life on stage, and on that stage in particular, so as soon as I step foot on it it'll be like I was just there yesterday."

Bringing his full band and a set full of songs from six different albums, Thompson said he felt like he had almost come full circle since the first time he stepped on that Mojos stage.

"Im closer to that guy and that sound from back then in the later part of my career than when I was playing every blues and roots festival around in the mid to late-2000s," he said.

"With every gig you learn something and I think after 20 years onstage now Im also a better performer, who knows who he is, and that's something that takes a while, to learn to be who you are onstage and to do your thing without pretending to be something you're not.

"When I started out on those first gigs, I didn't fully understand a lot of that stuff yet, that if you're real enough, that's the most rock"n" roll thing you can do; it's not about how many beers or lines you do, it's about being yourself and getting the crowd going off." Thompson's nostalgia at being home has inspired a raft of new music, so much so that Thompson said he is well set up for a new album once he returns from playing shows in London and Germany.

Thompson will perform at Mojos Bar on July 4. Visit www.oztix.com.au for tickets.