Check out all the photos HERE
With the assistance of the regality of the Norwood Concert Hall, Lior managed to create a warmth amongst his audience members on Friday night. He was able for the most part to caress his audience into the most chilled of mind-sates with his angelic croon. There was nothing astounding that left you with your jaw open and expression aghast, but there was something close to a soft, melody induced contentment. With a voice that is pitch perfect and a sense of humour that is uniquely Australian and highly relatable, Lior overcame the relative sameness of many of his recorded songs. While the similarity between the slower moments, the delicate ballads and the acoustic ruminations that peppered the gig began to compromise the overall emotional impact, there where enough moments in which the 9-piece band was unified and the sound coming from the stage overcame the sedentary nature of some of Lior’s songs. His position is understandable. When your voice is such that it can equally swoon an adoring crowd with its angelic tones, yet also blow them away with soulful power the song automatically becomes less important.
While as expected his renditions of This Old Love, Autumn Flow and I’ll Forget You were greeted with overwhelming rapture from the female dominated crowd, it was tracks such as the two that bookended the gig, especially Building Ships which supplied a lovely emotional, yet viscerally passionate end to a concert that on occasion verged on frustrated boredom. It was the inclusions of songs such as Jerusalem that suitably stretched the band, allowed for the creation of more interesting musical textures and gave them the opportunity to ‘rock out’ and ‘be loud’ that gave the crowd the more memorable moments. Unfortunately there was a workmanlike, uninteresting homage to Nick Drake in the cover of the emotionally-crushing Day is Done. While it gave Lior the opportunity to pay tribute to one of the great lost-songwriters, his lack of variation on the original and inability to channel the depths of despair that only Drake could to (admittedly to a disastrous end) left a slightly hollow feeling.
One can not deny though, that the hordes of female admirers collected amongst the beautiful theatre surrounds where perpetually impressed during the whole concert and the word ‘gorgeous’ was peddled overtime in the wash-up of Lior’s controlled performance. For those who are impressed with his recorded work the Norwood Town hall concert gave good reason for why live performances can give that little bit extra and make you feel that little bit more. While I will never go home to cuddle up with Lior’s soft melancholy tones, I can’t help but have gained a slightly greater respect for the man, his band and his music now having witnessed his live performance.
Check out all the photos HERE
