A man of few words, it seems Matt Corby is more than happy to let his music speak for him when he sets foot on stage.
And it does speak. It speaks volumes about his prodigious talent, his passionate dedication to his craft, and his ability to connect with his fans.
His is a voice where on first hearing it, one might think, “I bet he would do justice to Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’”.
A quick Google search can confirm that, indeed, he does.
From the opening song, the audience at the all-ages sold out gig was ensnared by Corby’s incredible vocals and were only set free once again as the lights came on to signal the end of the night.
Warming up early arrivals quite admirably were support acts Bree Tranter and Bear’s Den.
Tranter, a member of Corby’s band, has recently struck out on her own with the release of debut EP Jaws and secured a coveted support slot for Corby’s Resolution tour.
Despite some early on technical difficulties, and admitting to not being very good at ‘small talk’ during said technical difficulties, Tranter wowed the building crowd with her vulnerable and ethereal tones.
Mixing electro-pop and indie, the talented Sydney-sider and band (made up of her ex The Middle East band mates) impressed with stand outs “Wounded Love” and Sinead O’Connor cover “Nothing Compares 2 U”.
With a refreshingly relaxed attitude and her accompanying haunting vocals, it is easy to picture Tranter plying her trade on the Festivals circuit, and now in more recent times, as part of Corby’s ensemble, with considerable success.
Next up was Bear’s Den, a folk group out of the UK, which one punter commented “They’re, like, Mumford’s son”.
The beautifully bearded trio does have a banjo amongst their arsenal so the comparison isn’t that far off.
With ready smiles, endearing interactions between band members, and a warmth that could heat up a cold winter’s night, they played an energetic set that received a rousing response from an audience that may have hitherto been strangers to the charms and appeal of these London lads.
Highlights of their too-short a set of folk and alt-country laden numbers included their opener, the title track to their Agape EP; only to gather momentum with “Don’t Let The Sun Steal You Away” where the drummer played drums and bass simultaneously; and gave it their all on their last song for the night, “Hard Life”.
Next time these boys hit our shores, hopefully, they’ll bring their own headlining tour to the land of Oz.
After a short interval, the lights of Festival Hall were dimmed all the way down, and the crowd erupted in screams of anticipation.
With a spotlight trained on him, that other beautifully bearded man of the evening made his way to centre stage and opened his mouth to let that voice fill the ears of eagerly awaiting fans. It was at that moment every individual was transfixed. Oh, and some more screaming ensued.
Having first come to prominence through television singing competition Australian Idol back in 2007, Corby has gone from strength to strength developing into the artist you see today.
2013 not only sees his Resolution Tour travelling around the country, but it will also soon mark the release of his debut album.
He has taken his time to earn his musical stripes, to hone his voice, and practice his live performance, in his way, which is evident in his show Friday night.
Listening to him in a live capacity, you know exactly why he has the following he does.
His voice holds a raw sincerity that stirs something within the listener’s soul.
Injecting soulful blues into his delivery of ‘Brother’, he need not have sung the ‘ohh ohh ohh’ parts, for the fans had that covered for him.
The same level of audience participation was evident for new single “Resolution” for which he recently collected a whole swag of ARIA nominations, including Song of The Year.
While there was an impressive light show up on stage, there was a fair amount of light shows on the floor too, as phones lit up to take video footage and photos of the indie folk singer in his element.
Sometimes on his own, sometimes accompanied by his band, Corby traversed a lyrical and melodious wonderland that punters were only too happy to join him in.
His unique guttural tones soared and his emotionally loaded lyrics left listeners feeling just what they ought with numbers “Trick Of The Light”, “Souls A’fire” and “Untitled”.
Thrown into the mix were two covers that paid homage to the originals, Crosby Stills Nash and Young’s “Almost Cut My Hair” and The Black Keys’ “Lonely Boy”.
Bringing the show to a fitting and very fun end, Corby invited all the performers of the night on stage to join him to play “My False”.
Still so very young at 22 years of age, fans and those in the music industry alike will surely be taking a keen interest in what is yet to come from this immensely remarkable individual.
