Live Review: James Morrison, Hein Cooper

One to watch, Hein Cooper captivated the crowd in his support slot with original songs like Invincible as well as a solid cover of Lily Allen’s The Fear, which has become part of his repertoire after performing it for triple j’s Like A Version earlier this year to glowing reviews.

However, the crowd at Enmore Theatre were there to see one man only, and as James Morrison took to the stage, it was immediately evident why. Perhaps a result of performing solidly for the last 15 years, or just his natural charm, Morrison had confidence far outreaching his 35 years. Backed by a six-piece band, he dove right into old favourites Under The Influence and Nothing Ever Hurt Like You.

Live, Morrison’s voice lived up to the hype and every song he sang was immaculate. However, as with many musicians who have careers spanning as long as his, some of his newer songs failed to pack the punch that older tracks off debut album Undiscovered or follow-up Songs For You, Truths For Me so naturally did. One of his newer tracks Power, while perfectly sung, seemed to be the exact time for half the audience to take a bathroom break in order to not miss ‘any of his old stuff'.

That being said, when Morrison was on, he was on, and a rendition of The Beatles’ With A Little Help From My Friends and a soaring duet with one of his amazing back-up singers for Broken Strings were the concert's peak.

James Morrison @ Enmore Theatre. Photo by Milly Mead.

There was a healthy smattering of his newest album, You’re Stronger Than You Know, throughout the setlist, including Slowly in the encore, but his older tracks were where the concert really came alive. Probably a frustrating situation for a musician to be in but it just showed how good songs like You Give Me Something or finale Wonderful World really are.