Live Review: Jack Garratt

Jack Garratt is very impressive as a multi-instrumentalist. His fort-like set-up of synths, drums and keyboards at the Metro Theatre on Thursday stood centrestage, pride of place, with no doubt in anyone's mind that this wouldn't be a stripped down, simple show.

Whether it be powering through drum solos at the end of Breathe Life or layering heavy beats over Fire, Garratt was definitely working for his money during this show, swiftly moving from one instrument to the other while singing. Unfortunately the multitasking got the better of Garratt's vocals which seemed to waver depending on the intrinsic nature of the song.

His song Weathered has a softer introduction that would have showcased his vocal talent to a better degree however Garratt threw the beginning of the song to the crowd, who then sang up until the synths kicked in. A bit of a missed opportunity on Garratt's behalf to show off his vocal range.

Having only released his debut album this year Garratt lacks the portfolio for a long set. Additions like a crafty mash-up of Justin Timberlake's Senorita and Craig David's 7 Days were great filler that successfully pumped up the crowd. His banter with the crowd needs a bit of work and came off as more awkward than anything else. Having also dealt with a few technical issues throughout the set, there was a real disjointed feeling to the show, with large gaps of silence and more awkward banter as Garratt fiddled around with his intricate set-up.

While getting off to a strong start with a crowd pleaser like Surprise Yourself, Garratt just couldn't maintain the energy levels of his show, with the big breaks between songs making the whole thing feel like a drunk friend mucking around with instruments at a house party instead of a sold out gig at the Metro.