Reviewed on Saturday February 14

An evening celebrating three of the world’s favourite songwriters – Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen – sounded like a dream scenario, and with velvet-voiced Mikelangelo taking the reins it was like a gig divinely arranged.

Maybe my expectations got the better of me. Maybe the incredible delay to a show with no supports sabotaged my enthusiasm – a 7:30pm start became eight, became eight-thirty, became nine… and by then the front desk had grown nervously uncertain about expected start times. Maybe it was the gorgeous but awkward layout of The Vanguard; who knows. But I left the gig considerably underwhelmed.

Taking the stage with accordion and seductively sly grin, Mikelangelo opened with Cohen’s ‘I’m Your Man’. It was a fitting intro that saw the theatricality of his stage presence loosed onto an appreciative, sold-out room. His vocals sounded surprisingly shaky though, and while I initially chalked this to a voice still warming up, there were several times throughout the night where he would slide suddenly off key and seem hesitant with his delivery.

From the opener we segued into a delicate guitar rendition of Cave’s ‘Into My Arms’ followed by the splendid shambles of Waits’ ‘Way Down In The Hole’. These three numbers serve a striking distinction that carried across the entire night; each songwriter’s voice is so assured, so very distinct, and Mikelangelo did a tremendous job of showcasing this. His voice has a deep and quiet menace, conjuring images of gathering storms and midnight drunks with splendid alacrity.

However, there was simply too little energy to the performance. The cosily coupled crowd (it was Valentine’s Day, after all) was hardly fitting for a stage-quaking set, but I never felt that Mikelangelo was giving more than his minimum effort in keeping the songs on track. Standing atop a dinner table with the audience clapping to keep the beat for an a capella ‘Hang On St. Christopher’ was an entertaining exception, and there were some pleasant surprises, like Cave’s ‘Sad Waters’. Mikelangelo’s audience banter was warm and sincere, and the observations on why certain songs have moved him were an interesting insight. But he never really made these songs his own, and so few ever found their wings.

By the end I felt certain that there was a stronger show in there somewhere, and Mikelangelo may yet be the one to see it realised. But on Saturday evening, the magic just wasn’t there.

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