Live Review: City & Colour, Little May

The webbed ceiling of Sidney Myer Music Bowl stretches out like a dragon's wing, amplifying the rich and mellow distortion of Little May. All dressed in black, the trio share stories of heartbreak with some awkward banter. Their short songs are enriched with moody overtones. Little May finish up just as the first stars pop through the sky, allowing City & Colour to march on stage in a haze of golden smoke.

The ensemble play long, twisted versions of their tunes, with added solos and extended chord vamps (their second song finishes half an hour into City & Colour's set). The admirably smooth, grounding voice of Dallas Green sees his lyrics glide through the dense wall of bluesy folk. A psychedelic fog starts to settle around the band as a swirl of colourful light changes beam through the thick stage smoke. Occasionally, a breeze sweeps through the bowl to wash the vibrant blur out to the audience.

Green breaks the fourth wall after their third song. "I hope you've brought your dancing shoes. This is the only mid-tempo sad song I have. The rest will be just sad songs," he informs, before diving into Wasted Love. A solemn tension gradually builds as they drift through more sad songs: Sleeping Sickness, Lover Come Back and Body In A Box. We begin to crave a release — a happier, more high-tempo ballad to free us from the sombre atmosphere. Instead, Green relieves us with his adorably humble personality. "I'm running out of ways to say 'thank you'. I sort of expected no one to be here," he admits softly. The crowd assembled in the Bowl gushes laughter. What a peculiar statement for Green to make! Especially after informing us it's his 15th trek to Australia.

The band soon leave Green onstage for a solo performance. With just a harmonica and guitar, he relives his acoustic-folk background with two stripped-back songs — one from his solo career. Between Northern Wind and The Girl, Green explains his hate for running (probably a metaphor, although he did say he went to his first Aussie footy match last night). The band then rejoin Green on stage for an exceptionally long version of Hope For Now. A bulls-eye finish to their set, this song comes to a perfect climax with methodic cymbal crashing and the forever-ascending notes of a guitar solo.