In the lead-up to the release of his second album, fans have been sitting on the edge of their seats for the British talents’ arrival. Supported by local, Ainslie Wills, audience members were in for a truly special night.
Joined by an enormous live band, Ezra kicked off the night with ‘Cassy O’, which had energies soaring. The band was dressed in all black, along with Ezra. This was a humbling touch, to see Ezra coordinate with the band rather than stand out in contrast. The backup vocalists took the crowd favourite to a new level. As Ezra finished each line, you could hear the lingering murmur of the crowd singing along. The sound floated up the venue to the back like a choir singing together with Ezra’s soaring vocals leading. During breaks, Ezra shared personal stories behind the songs, segueing into the next. He spoke of a month he spent abroad writing for his debut album, Wanted on Voyage, influencing his beautiful ode to the city ‘Barcelona’.
The way Ezra indulged audiences in his personal life filled up the time between songs perfectly. This caused the set list to float seamlessly and, unfortunately, hastily. If you blinked you could’ve missed the whole show. ‘Pretty Shining People’ was written as Ezra sat in a public garden, watching the people pass him. As the heavy drums kicked in, the bright lights behind Ezra flashed in unison. Mid-way through, Ezra took a moment to teach the audience the chorus, giving them no excuse to not join in.
Appreciating the beauty of the Forum, Ezra took a moment to take in his surroundings. He continued to apologise for taking so long before returning as he led into ‘Paradise’. Audience members who’d been standing in awe were now jumping to the upbeat song. There’s a difference between creating a full, multi-layered sound and being loud for the sake of being loud, and that difference is a terrible earache. The emotional rollercoaster took a dip as Ezra sang ‘Hold My Girl’. There was a simultaneous sound of hearts breaking across the room as the girls in the audience slowly came to the realisation that it was possible he wasn’t singing to them.
In the modern day reality of live music, a genuine encore is hard to come by. Unfortunately, Ezra’s incredibly entertaining show was no different. In regular Ezra style, a fanciful story about not having his driver’s license at his age backed into his “final” song, ‘Shotgun’. Ezra toyed with the idea that he might be back, making the notion of an encore not only less memorable, but also not necessary. Nevertheless, the crowd stomped and clapped demanding the British singer back onstage.
As expected, he returned for another two songs, including ‘Budapest’. Credit must be paid to the technician who crafted an amazing lighting show. Bright lights flashed behind the singer, showing only a dark silhouette him and his guitar.
Hopefully, this crowd full of adoring fans will call Ezra back before too long. With his new album set to drop soon, Australian audiences can anticipate a new tour in the not too distant future.
Highlight: Ezra’s anecdotes behind each song, opening up his personal life to his fans.
Lowlight: Slowly forming an obsession with Ezra throughout the show, an unhealthy one.
Crowd favourite: ‘Budapest’.
