Review: Matt Corby at Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne. April 12th, 2019.
Let me be real with you, after all the hype around Matt Corby’s first return to music in 2016, I was a little unsure of how he could follow up. The admiration I had for Corby when Telluric came into being was strong and rare.
The tenderness of his vocals paired with the at-times all over the place, calamitous, but beautiful instrumentation left me wondering if there could be a way up. As far as I was concerned, Corby’s best work was done and dusted.
Then came the live experience for that tour. A somber, but beautiful experience. A knack for sometimes over complicated playing culminated in sad songs that really connected. After playing a series of international shows throughout 2016-17, Corby went back into hibernation.
Corby came to a realisation that he needed to go back to basics. He and his partner moved into a rural property in New South Wales. There, they had a baby. He installed a home studio at the property they live at. Prior to their moving in, it was dubbed ‘Rainbow Valley’. It was there, Rainbow Valley, the album, was born.
The record focuses on simplicity, a less conscious attempt at being clever. A key element of this album is the fact that Corby plays each and every instrument and sings every single note on each track. A listener might assume translating this into a live setting might be cause for disaster, but come tour-time, this certainly is not the case. All my being unsure is quashed.
The crowd slowly spilled in as the first opening act, Eliott took to the stage. The young female vocalist brought with her several keyboard and midi instruments. Working without other live musicians, Eliott controlled the beats, synths, keys and additional vocals that went on. Vocally, she stunned punters, letting her wide range take her left, right and centre. Comparisons to Vera Blue’s falsetto would be in order. Though, she failed to really engage the crowd.
Second support act, BLESSED brought upbeat vibes and enthusiasm to the almost-sleepy crowd. Throughout his set, the crowd built. He rapped about positivity, ex-girlfriend spotting in clubs, and his self-described characteristic of being “fly.” It came off as some kind of ‘I love myself’ energy. Despite this, BLESSED managed to get the crowd going a little more.
Things got a whole lot better when the man of the hour entered the stage. Corby was welcomed by a thunderous applause, and squeals to match. Humbled by the large crowd at Margaret Court Arena, Corby explained he was ‘shitting himself’, which showed a little throughout the night.
Rainbow Valley album opener Light My Dart Up almost came across as some kind of spiritual welcome to the show. Maybe it was the low meditative nature of Corby’s vocals, or the Moog synthesisers. As each track goes on, the crowd fills up faster and faster.
In attendance at Corby’s biggest Australian show to date was none other than fellow musicians Tash Sultana and Josh Cashman, who entered part-way through his second track, ‘No Ordinary Life’, doing their best to avoid the crowds. The night’s second track was the first single from the record. Corby and his crew emulated the playful and unusual nature of the song.
Corby didn’t talk too much between songs, instead choosing to keep the show moving, with Corby’s band keeping the music going. His stellar band includes Bree Tranter, Rohin Jones and Mike Haydon (of The Middle East), and Chris Panousakis (better known as Timberwolf). The whole band are long-term friends of Corby, who he handpicked to bring Rainbow Valley to life.
‘All That I See’, ‘New Day Coming’, and ‘Get With The Times’ provided punters with the perfect opportunity to bust a move. Preceding those three tracks was ‘All Fired Up’, the loved up ballad, which proved itself to be one of the album’s highlights. Fans received this track prior to the record’s release, which showed on concert night, with fans keen for a sing along. Corby’s soothing vocals were as smooth as butter.
Corby was hesitant to move around throughout the most of part of the show, instead letting his unabashedly impressive vocals. The man is humble, clearly in his element. I like to think of Corby’s vocals as some kind of therapist – attending his shows truly changes you.
A highlight for the show was one of Corby’s best known tracks, ‘Brother’. The bluesy rocked up track had the crowd in awe. Corby’s groaning vocals manage to truly take you somewhere else, like nothing I’ve seen before. Another focal point of the show was Corby’s new rendition of ‘Monday’ – the lead single off his debut record, Telluric. Corby and co gospel-ised, and in-turn surprised the eager crowd.
The Matt Corby experience was made more incredible, thanks to the final three tracks. ‘Resolution’, dubbed as Corby’s most popular track, brought tears to the eyes of the four thousand punters in Margaret Court Arena. The room transformed into a phone torch state, with the odd lighter or two seen throughout the crowd.
‘Soul’s A Fire’ changed the atmosphere completely. Rough and ready rock and roll guitars were paired with Corby’s sandpaper-like (not in a bad way) singing. Corby travelled into falsetto territory, which had remained mostly untouched throughout the night, but gosh, were we lucky.
Watch Matt Corby perform ‘Miracle Love’ live at Manchester Cathedral:
Now, for the night’s defining moment. Arguably Corby’s best received recent effort, ‘Miracle Love’ has become somewhat of an anthem to fans. A version recorded in a hall in the UK was re-made for this special moment, with Corby inviting punters to sing along and take the lead for this track. More bandmates were invited on stage, and it certainly became the pivotal moment for the show.
Matt Corby is certainly the voice of a generation, and what seems to be for many generations more to come. His musicianship isn’t comparable to anyone but perhaps the likes of a Jeff Buckley, through his dazzling falsetto. Matt Corby doesn’t need to engage with the crowd, though he did at points.
Matt Corby is one-of-a-kind, the creator of only the most memorable of experiences.
