Review: Matt Corby @ The Globe
Sŵn Presents: Matt Corby + Annie Eve
The Globe, Cardiff
Friday 14th June 2013
I hope you agree that wearing a beanie hat indoors can only be justified in very specific conditions.
And for the oh-so-Tumblr vocal hush of London’s Annie Eve, this hipsteridiculous choice of headwear may have been forgiven if it had not formed a part of a most underwhelming performance. But it did.
The young singer-songwriter does sound a little more convincing on record, but this comatose acoustica failed to entice a fledging crowd of 15-year-olds eager to scream at their favourite long pony-tailed Aussie. While the vocal harmonies of Anna’s accompanying bass player helped add a vague level of ethereal to an otherwise day-dreamy set, I’m afraid it’s a no from me.
Luckily, Matt Corby soon upped the standard to ‘wow’. Sitting down to the keys like he was in his bedroom, the adoring crowd was enchanted by the twenty-something’s command of the venue and his marvellously sexed-up facial hair. Silencing the crowd’s screams with his luscious in and out of falsetto, gentle vibrato vocal and by asking any chatterers to “shut the f*** up. please ”, the runner-up on the 2007 season of Australian Idol proved himself as way beyond that of the talent show teen of his recent past.
Using vocal distortion sparingly and effectively, Corby relies upon the same simple songwriting of fellow Aussies Angus and Julia Stone, adding his distinctive voice to the folk-pop cannon. Consistently rising above the breathy singer-songwriter stuff of his earlier material, his versatile use of keys and guitar helped to fill the venue. The soft piano underbelly of the aubade Made Of Stone marvellously crescendoed as the delicate self-appraisal melted the room; “I’m carrying my heart, but it’s made of stone”.
At times like the sound child of Ben Howard and James Blake, he brought an ethereal quality to the Black Keys’ Lonely Boy, and throughout the evening was just as endearing when stripped back as when with his band in tow. Recent single Resolution blossomed into a rousing anthem, which helped cement a very promising performance from a young man with an ever-widening fan base and a growing collection of truly beautiful songs.
A rare talent show success story and another cracking booking from Sŵn.
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Photo Credit: Tudor Etchells
