Fans greet Gray's new tunes as if they were old favorites

Playing a set made up almost entirely of unfamiliar material isn't the ideal position for a pop musician, with its inherent risk of having fans check their watches until they hear a song they recognize. But if David Gray seemed mildly apologetic on Thursday for playing his unreleased ''Life in Slow Motion" (due Sept. 13) in full at Avalon, the audience members forgave him, saving some of their most enthusiastic applause for songs they'd never heard before.

Kings of Leon
With Helio Sequence
At: Avalon, Friday

Perhaps they simply recognized that the new songs -- such as the delicate, orchestral ''From Here I Can Almost See the Sea," the aptly titled ''Slow Motion," and the midtempo ballad ''Lately" -- might be future favorites. Particularly ''Lately," which overcame an off-kilter 7/4 time signature and epic length to blossom neatly and win the crowd's affection.

Throughout the evening, Gray appeared relaxed and confident, singing in a warm voice that stayed just this side of gruff. His polished band provided a rich adult pop sound anchored by the excellent, inventive drumming of Craig ''Clune" McClune (whose position downstage, rather than behind the singer, indicated his importance). The band's strength was subtly demonstrated during the ''White Ladder" song ''This Year's Love," which Gray carried mostly on piano while the other musicians offered support only as needed.

The only hiccups were some technical glitches that seemed to recur throughout the set (Gray expressed frustration at his ear monitors more than once), but such difficulties were all but invisible to the audience.

At the end, Gray thanked the crowd, saying, ''We've played you a whole album you've never heard before." But they seemed to be looking forward to hearing it again.

Acoustic folkie Micah P. Hinson opened the show with his occasionally growly baritone but seemed to struggle to maintain the crowd's attention.