Needing no pre-amble by means of support acts to warm-up the crowd, James Vincent McMorrow treated fans to two back to back sets at The Croxton. The first half of the evening was dedicated to his recent release, True Care, which was played from start to finish. The album sprung to life on the stage as McMorrow and his band plumped each song with a concoction of sound that swelled throughout the room.
The stage was littered with instruments, between McMorrow and his three band members, there were three keyboards, two synthesisers, a drum kit, an electric drum pad, two guitars and one bass guitar, completed by McMorrow’s breathtaking vocals which were often accompanied by between one and three other band members harmonizing the lyrics.
Seeing James Vincent McMorrow perform live is a magical experience for a number of reasons but one notable aspect is that once you strip away the production value of the recorded versions of his tracks, you can really inspect each element and how the instruments and harmonies interact with each other, which creates a multi-dimensional effect that isn’t quite present on the studio recordings.
Throughout both sets, McMorrow alternated between his keyboard and guitar, slinging his guitar behind his back when need be. The songs weaved between synth-soaked, funky numbers bubbling with rhythmic percussive beats and touching ballads which often saw his band members taking a moment to sit on the floor behind their instruments as he delivered raw, solo pieces. Across both performances, each band member threw their all into it which was obvious by the way they danced as if they had no control over their movements, completely taken by the music.
The second performance saw McMorrow digging into his other three albums and pulling out favourites such as We Don’t Eat, Gold, and Red Dust. Throughout, McMorrow’s astonishing falsetto stunned the entire room into a silent stillness so tangible you could almost feel the gaping jaws as his voice filled the room. In fact, the audience was so silent that when McMorrow switched guitars at one point between songs it was as if everyone was waiting with bated breath.
“You guys are so quiet, it’s eerie,” laughed McMorrow, and he wasn’t wrong.
Be it his Irish accent or general laidback, friendly nature, his banter between songs had the crowd erupting with laughter as he told anecdotes of his past Melbourne performances and poked fun at his own dance moves.
As the second set wound to its final moments, McMorrow really let loose, abandoning his microphone entirely through Rising Water and flitting across the stage as his bare voice occupied the entire room. Signing off with Surreal, a rendition of which was just that, the track was slowly stripped back element by element as members abandoned their instruments and left the stage one at a time, the lights dimming as they fled until McMorrow stood singing alone, backlit by a single spotlight before he too retreated from the stage. In an odd contrast to such a relaxed atmosphere, the crowd erupted into a thunderous applause until McMorrow and his band re-joined the stage to play two final songs, ending on Cavalier before finally saying his final goodnight.
Highlight: McMorrow telling the crowd he has already started penning his next album and aims to return to Australia next year.
Lowlight: I wouldn’t call it a lowlight as such, but I would have loved to see him perform Higher Love.
Crowd Favourite: Cavalier.
