Josh Pyke, Gossling, Jackson McLaren @ The Forum, Melbourne (11/05/2012)
After missing out on seeing Josh Pyke's set at Falls I was thoroughly looking forward to seeing one of the country's most talented solo male artists. I was especially looking forward to hearing material from his most recent release Only Sparrows, a fantastic blend of layered pop tunes and quality folk. Adding to all that it was all being held at The Forum, one of Melbourne's finest live music venues.
The nights opening act, Jackson Mclaren certainly didn't look out of place on the confines of The Forum Theatre stage. And it's always nice to see a quality left hand guitarist combining forces with a violinist/banjo player to create some chilled wintery tunes to open the evening.
One thing is for sure about triple J darling Gossling, her voice is unprecedented - a sweet combination of power with a dose of cutesy charm, it's gorgeous and one of a kind.
She was behind her keyboard for most of the night, but did decide to pick up the guitar for a song or two, and with good effect. The power of one girl and her guitar cannot be understated, especially when you have a voice like Gossling's.
A huge highlight of her 45 minute set was her folksy version of Dance The Way I Feel, and her two closers, Heart Killer and Wild Love- both from her latest EP Intentional Love.
After a 30 minute wait between sets, we were graced with the presence of Josh Pyke and his band. To kick off the set he played a few of his rarer gems including Parking Lots. He also started with a lot his more dark and haunting tunes, rather than his poppy ones. Summer Of Love was an early highlight, violin solo and all; there's something about the chorus that just forces you to sing along. It was also nice to hear someone so appreciative of their sound team, you could constantly hear Josh thanking his guitar tech during every song change.
Most songs had different arrangements than what you'd usually expect from a Josh Pyke gig, which the leading man attributed to his backing band.
A remarkable feature of the set was Pyke's ability to leave an audience captivated with just his voice and the song's melody, it was just uncanny particularly in songs Fed Like Wolves and Love Lies.
Though the two only met on the day of the show, Gossling and Pyke's rendition of Punch In The Heart was fantastic. Their vocal harmonies were simply stunning, it's as if they were brother and sister. Lighthouse Song had the couples in the crowd swooning, and I may have been guilty of a little solo swaying and swooning myself.
Follow Me Down was a treat, like all of Pyke's best songs it's masterfully layered and has a great hook, while Middle Of The Hill was the audience participation song and everyone dutifully complied and clapped along.
Humble, charming, funny and incredibly musically gifted, that's the best way to describe one of the country's most talented artists after seeing him in the flesh. It's no wonder he has such a huge legion of dedicated fans. The man knows how to put on a masterful performance that was perfect to enjoy on a cool Melbourne evening.
Jac Manuell
The nights opening act, Jackson Mclaren certainly didn't look out of place on the confines of The Forum Theatre stage. And it's always nice to see a quality left hand guitarist combining forces with a violinist/banjo player to create some chilled wintery tunes to open the evening.
One thing is for sure about triple J darling Gossling, her voice is unprecedented - a sweet combination of power with a dose of cutesy charm, it's gorgeous and one of a kind.
She was behind her keyboard for most of the night, but did decide to pick up the guitar for a song or two, and with good effect. The power of one girl and her guitar cannot be understated, especially when you have a voice like Gossling's.
A huge highlight of her 45 minute set was her folksy version of Dance The Way I Feel, and her two closers, Heart Killer and Wild Love- both from her latest EP Intentional Love.
After a 30 minute wait between sets, we were graced with the presence of Josh Pyke and his band. To kick off the set he played a few of his rarer gems including Parking Lots. He also started with a lot his more dark and haunting tunes, rather than his poppy ones. Summer Of Love was an early highlight, violin solo and all; there's something about the chorus that just forces you to sing along. It was also nice to hear someone so appreciative of their sound team, you could constantly hear Josh thanking his guitar tech during every song change.
Most songs had different arrangements than what you'd usually expect from a Josh Pyke gig, which the leading man attributed to his backing band.
A remarkable feature of the set was Pyke's ability to leave an audience captivated with just his voice and the song's melody, it was just uncanny particularly in songs Fed Like Wolves and Love Lies.
Though the two only met on the day of the show, Gossling and Pyke's rendition of Punch In The Heart was fantastic. Their vocal harmonies were simply stunning, it's as if they were brother and sister. Lighthouse Song had the couples in the crowd swooning, and I may have been guilty of a little solo swaying and swooning myself.
Follow Me Down was a treat, like all of Pyke's best songs it's masterfully layered and has a great hook, while Middle Of The Hill was the audience participation song and everyone dutifully complied and clapped along.
Humble, charming, funny and incredibly musically gifted, that's the best way to describe one of the country's most talented artists after seeing him in the flesh. It's no wonder he has such a huge legion of dedicated fans. The man knows how to put on a masterful performance that was perfect to enjoy on a cool Melbourne evening.
Jac Manuell