The rebellious spirit of ’70s outlaw country was re-energised for the 2010s when Sturgill Simpson went from underdog to alt-country phenomenon with his deep Waylon-esque pipes, left-of-centre lyrical style and penchant for upending expectations. He can swing from erudite philosopher to roadhouse bad boy on a pin. Who else could supply the zombie satire The Dead Don’t Die with a devastatingly deadpan title tune, sing about Buddha, LSD and reptile aliens in “Turtles All the Way Down”, and reimagine Nirvana’s “In Bloom” as a Merle Haggard-style country ballad?