Reviewed on Friday January 15 (photo by Jamie Williams)
Dressed immaculately in a tailored suit and rarely seen without a boyish grin, Matthew E. White is nothing if not happy to be here, even if heavy jetlag and the novelty of the travelling Spiegeltent means he’s not quite sure where here is. “We played this Spiegeltent once before, but in Bergen, Norway,” he says. “I got in here today and I was like, ‘I’ve been here before’ – it’s freaking me out.”
He gets his bearings soon enough with ‘Tranquility’, in which whispered, almost spoken-word vocals about the transient nature of life build until the song seems set to collapse in on itself, before a second guitar belatedly chimes in, giving it a second wind. Written as a reflection on the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman, it’s a tender if atypical start.
But White’s music is hardly all doom and death and things immediately take a turn for warmer, more joyful territory with ‘Love Is Deep’. ‘Vision’ shows his considerable versatility as a singer, swinging seamlessly from breathy vocals to the soaring, upbeat, soulful style that has seen him earn Curtis Mayfield comparisons. Last time he and his band were out here, White recalls, they were so jetlagged that they abrupt fell asleep mid-meal in a Domino’s outlet. Thankfully, there’s no such lethargy tonight, though slow jam ‘Fruit Trees’ moves like treacle in the best possible way.
There’s a lush cover of Lee Hazelwood’s ‘Wait And See’ and a sunny snapshot of religious devotion in the blissed-out ‘Circle ’Round The Sun’, White crooning the line “Wrap your arms around me, Jesus” with such conviction that even non-believers can’t help but be swayed.
The setlist switches gears in the second half to his more bluesy, groove-heavy side, with the likes of the harmony-laden ‘Steady Pace’ and ‘Feeling Good Is Good Enough’ raising the energy. ‘Rock & Roll Is Cold’ is a floor-shaking rave-up where brushed drums are exchanged for John Bonham-esque pounding. It wraps up with a group hug and a gentleman’s bow to a now energised crowd.
At one point, White muses on his ambitions of moving to Australia and buying himself a “real fresh” ute to go exploring in. Based on tonight’s showing, this hugely likeable and talented performer is more than welcome to set up shop here.
