Live Review: Matt Corby, Stolen Violin

Laidback Cairns band Stolen Violin warmed up a pretty excited crowd at Metro Theatre with their sling of twangy, lovelorn songs about, well, love. The band are musically decked with not much more than a few synths, a guitar and some fantastically poetic lyrics, but thanks to frontman Jordan Ireland their achy tracks work so well.

Peals of screaming rolled across the sold out venue, eventually making their way to the bare feet of a very relaxed Matt Corby as he greeted the crowd. After a few short words Corby kicked off the set with his latest single Monday, which quite frankly was one of the best songs of the night. Armed with his voice and the clicking of his fingers, the man has mastered the art of sculpting beauty out of simplicity with this track and the crowd reflexively watched in awe.

The five-piece ensemble then gathered around him for the rest of the gig, which was peppered with some great new material. Their tight-knit accompaniment, including some jazzy flute from both a band member and Corby himself, certainly helped to propel Corby's voice to the height of its power. Corby's awkward yet funny side came out when a young man in the audience yelled, "I wanna have your babies!" to which he replied, "Too bad, man," and laughed to himself.

As the songs and screams continued, Resolution and Brother scaled the peaks of the show's potential, showcasing the band's talents as well as Corby's. Delivering memorable chorus hooks and wearing his brown, woolly locks like a curtain, Corby let the soul and heartfelt lyrics pour out for the remainder of the night, confirming himself as another Australian talent we should all be proud of.