John Newman’s performance at The Palace was one of the most precise and seamlessly executed shows your correspondent has ever seen. At every stage of the show Newman was shifting from one perfectly rehearsed move to another – a show so well practised his voice never wavered even as he did a quasi moonwalk during his floor filling tune Cheating.
With this performance, combined his choirboy clean cut aesthetic and flawless sound, the uninitiated may have written-off the Yorkshire native as a shallow android of popular music – having his strings pulled by record execs and cash-hungry promoters. This couldn’t be further from truth as it was Newman who choreographed the entire live show and wrote and produced all of the songs that he performed from his album Tribute.
He did perform one song he wasn’t wholly responsible for – Rudimental’s Not Giving In – but he did write the lyrics for that song about a very close friend of Newman’s who was going through a tough time.
The show opened with the lights dimmed apart from a single spotlight on an empty mic stand that led into a impeccably dressed Newman performing the introduction to the song All For You a cappella before two backing vocalists, guitarist, keyboard-player, bass player and drummer joined him for the song’s first chorus.
Despite his youthfulness and background in the UK underground dance scene Newman appeals to an ‘adult contemporary’ and camp demographic. Newman share’s this ‘credible contradiction’ with fellow U.K. acts Simply Red, Style Council and Bronski Beat – I anticipate that Newman will have a similar impact on the music scene as these legendary acts.
However, despite being tantalised by the oxymoron of Newman’s status, at times I felt like I was at the after party for Real Housewives Of Melbourne.
BY DENVER MAXX
Loved: Not Giving In.
Hated: Bogans with money.
Drank: Silicon.
