Sydney Town Hall was revamped for Paradiso – a special string of live music nights – as part of the Sydney Festival. With food, drink, and the ability to play “Space Invaders” on the façade of a nearby building, the environment was set up for fun and relaxation. Add in the duo of Johns, John Murry and John Grant, and the feast of music was always going to be rich.
Murry won the room over with his humour, tales, guitar, and voice. He made a connection with the sun-kissed audience immediately when he humbly expressed his disbelief at being in Australia with a charting record. “It’s about heroin addiction. I mean, you people must like heroin,” he said.
‘The Ballad Of The Pajama Kid’ was lonesome and sweet, and the crowd were hooked. With no seats to relax in and the lights up, it was an interesting spectre for people, who occasionally glanced at the faces of their comrades while Murry sang his biographical stories. The singer-songwriter’s meditative songs, like ‘Photograph’ and ‘California’, and the state he jokingly blamed on his heroin addiction, came across beautifully.
Sounding a bit like Bruce Springsteen at times, he tipped his hat to another great John, one Mr. John Prine. ‘Paradise’, a Prine number, is a gem of a tune about the destruction of a county known as Muhlenberg in Kentucky. Murry connected with it beautifully, as did the crowd.
The musician’s tales of his life may be dark and brooding, but his delivery and storytelling ability brought the crowd into his world for a brief visit. Most of the songs performed were from his excellent record The Graceless Age, a collection that everyone should seek out at some point.
With music outdoors during the break, large video game battles, and the never-ending flow of cider and beer, the crowd seemed chilled and excited about the next John off the rank.
Grant’s last visit was a solo stint at The Vanguard in 2012. This time, a grand stage and a full band awaited him at the Town Hall, enough to show Sydney that the American musician was ready to command the space.
Due to the musical influences of his Icelandic friends, and the style of his latest release Pale Green Ghosts, Grant was in town to drop a bit of electronica onto his fans. The performer’s deep, muscular vocals, mixed and matched with his satirical and humorous lyrics, captivated the crowd from the get-go. Along with his band (most who hail from Iceland), he filled the room with a very large sound.
‘You Don’t Have To’ commenced proceedings as the synth and volume set the stage for what was to come. Grant went from the microphone at the centre of stage, to the keys, then back again. It was engaging to watch, and the sound was full and lush.
The artist admitted that he had been admiring the beauty of Sydney’s fabulous-looking people. This idea did not match the song that followed next – ‘I Hate This Fucking Town’.
During ‘Black Belt’, the band had the floors and walls of the Town Hall shaking with their power and volume. The music was loud but crystal clear. Combined with the quieter and dreamier tunes, such as ‘I Wanna Go To Marz’ and ‘It Doesn’t Matter To Him’, Grant won over the crowd easily with his mix of styles.
Closing the night with two of his most remarkable songs, ‘Glacier’ and possibly the best number of his career, ‘Queen Of Denmark’, Grant and his team took a bow and exited with huge smiles on their mugs. The rapturous applause drew them back for a pleasing, up-tempo version of ‘Chicken Bones’.
The teaming of Murry and Grant, two disparate artists, worked very well for the first night at Paradiso. In fact, one must wonder why the room is not used more often for live music. Let’s hope that the success this year gives the Sydney public the chance to visit the venue more often. Let’s also hope that Grant will return to admire our city, and the fabulous-looking people, in the not too distant future.
