It was a beautiful and powerful set of ten songs – all originals bar one – played solo on an acoustic Maton guitar, with a stomp box and a voice that can be both sweet and soft before roaring to the heights of a heartfelt ‘Yeaaah!’
John is 23 years young and has an ability to craft polished catchy indie soul tunes where lyrics and music fit hand in glove to create fully formed songs suited to anything from a solo guitar to a full band. His songs vary from ballads such as the introspective ‘Artist in the Dark’ to pop-soul numbers like ‘Only One’. They are honest, uplifting tunes – sung from the heart, with inspiring intensity and soaring crescendos.
When writing, lyrics and melodies are most often the starting point; the music comes first, the arrangements later. The songs are usually about him and his strikingly honest self-realisation.
The visit to Melbourne was a surprise for John. He had flown to Perth for a friend’s wedding, and was planning to fly straight home again, but serendipity and synchronicity intervened and three gigs later he was saying “farewell but not goodbye” to a group of new and old friends at Bar 303.
Come back soon, John Dhali.
By Simon Ellis
