Matt Corby @ The Palais Theatre
by Gracie Crowley
My Matt Corby addiction has only grown since the release of his album Telluric earlier this year, seeing him at the Forum back in November of last year was just not enough to keep me satisfied. Thank whatever god or otherworldly creature there is that the Palais Theatre is still up and running. It has a certain atmosphere as you enter, the old-school vibe is emulated inside as you are shown to your seats by the wonderful staff while admiring the rather spectacular interior as it all sets the perfect mood for the evening ahead.
The opening act was none other than Vera Blue, who only a few weeks ago was featured on Triple J’s like a version. Her sound gave a Florence Welch meets Flume vibe and the pulsating electronic base of her music captivated you until she introduced an acoustic element throughout a few songs, providing warmth to the synthetic accompanying instruments. Her cover of the Gorilla’s ‘Feel Good’ was a definite crowd pleaser and her original tune ‘Turn’ was powerful to put it lightly.
Matt Corby came to the stage in almost perfect timing, opening with the first track from his latest Telluric, Belly Side Up. From then the entire performance commanded complete attention as he lured you in, built you up then broke you down with his entrancing voice and sound that mixes soul and blues with funky guitar riffs, flute solo’s and then of course the impressive use of his own voice as the backing for Monday. Those that reviewed Corby’s Telluric as somewhat cold and ‘lacking depth’ can happily swim in the warm ocean of depth that Corby’s performance provided. Having seen him perform a few times now I have noticed that he has become more confident, seeming to be more at home on stage after the first couple of songs. Corby replied jovially to the crowd’s yells of ‘I love you’ with ‘thanks mate’ and a little chuckle and he even returned for an encore this time. Yet even though he appears more confident Corby maintains a humble demeanour throughout his entire performance that cannot help but make you love him even more.
It is clear that Matt Corby has shaken the old image of former ‘guy from idol’ and has created a something that is both unique and personal. His sound and artistically written lyrics are more beautiful than the man himself. The vast amount of talent that his accompanying band possesses is impressive to say the very least and the Palais was the perfect venue for this performance. I truly cannot wait to see and hear what this impressive human does next.