From Barcelona to Brunswick, blues troubador Steve Smyth announces special Ballroom show

Steve Smyth will play the Brunswick Ballroom on Sunday October 9 with special guests, new material and a whole lotta life experience under his belt.

Steve Smyth with special guests Bob Harrow + El Tee. Dashville is proud to support the return of Steve Smyth, touring Australia throughout October.

Having spent the better part of a decade gracing every stage he could find across Australia, Steve Smyth’s presence has been impossible to ignore around the traps. The release of his last album, 2014’s wildly eclectic Exits, saw Smyth touring relentlessly across the nation for the rest of that year, his fanbase exploding along with his hard-earned notoriety for a monstrous live show.

Steve Smyth’s Brunswick show

Dashville Presents Steve Smyth
5:30pm, Sun 9 October, 2022
Brunswick Ballroom
Tickets available here

Check out Melbourne’s most comprehensive gig guide here.

The loveable raconteur, now considered a local along the Mediterranean coast, will return to his homeland of Australia in the spring, after a longer-then-planned stint away. Releasing BLOODS, in January 2020, the first of a series of four EPs, just as COVID took its toll, found Steve hosting his Australian Tour via candlelight on the internet from in his humble abode in Barcelona.

Compared to the noisy, junkyard blues rock of his earlier releases, the latest release is a sparse affair that carries the influence of Smyth’s new surroundings. For example, ‘Stages’ is built around nylon string guitar and punctuated by funereal horn refrains. This aesthetic permeates the release, which entirely eschews drums and electric guitar.

Smyth worked with a group of local musicians and tracked the EP live in one of Barcelona’s beautiful cathedrals. But as with all of Smyth’s work to date, it’s his voice that really defines BLOODS. Artists like Tom Waits and Howlin’ Wolf have definitely influenced his vocal style, but he also has a unique vocal agility, which allows him to set aside the deep-fried bark and rise to a pure high note when he pleases.

Two years later here we are, ready to give it another shot, this time accompanied by the music from the intended release of MATCHES, which will be followed by a further two Eps, FRACTURES and CELEBRATION. It’s the story of human catastrophe and redemption.