Live Review: Matt Corby, Vera Blue

We liked Vera Blue better before that unrecognisable Gorillaz cover, Feel Good Inc, which makes us feel precisely the opposite. Like a cross between Lana Del Rey and Kate Miller-Heidke, Blue's voice soars, as demonstrated when she performs her triple j Like A Version (Jack Garratt's Breathe Life). Blue closes with Hold, the introduction to which makes punters squeal delightedly. This 20-year-old shows a lot of promise.

Strips of fabric inspired by the cover art from Matt Corby's debut album, Telluric, hang from the theatre's fly system in a semicircular configuration to outline the performers on stage. Matt Corby casually riffs on the flute during his opening track. He's certainly not vain about the faces he pulls while he scats and some of his hand gestures look like he's playing invisible mini maracas. Looking out into the audience (on one of the rare occasions that he does so tonight), Corby observes, "It's a pretty amazing thing you have here" (referring to Palais Theatre). His five-piece backing band is superb, keyboardist Bree Tranter's backing vocals perfectly complementing Corby's heavenly timbre. He's a scruffy-looking dude, but that voice transcends. Every time a crowd member yells out, "I love you!" Corby chuckles awkwardly and utters, "Thanks, mate".  

Corby looks more comfortable once he straps on his guitar for Resolution, but he's come a long way toward finding a stage presence without the instrumental 'crutch' as well. Left alone with a loop pedal to create the lush layers of Monday, complete with precise finger snaps, Corby is captivating. Brother — what an exquisite song, filled with so much passion, yet we want to feel more. His performance is somewhat detached this evening and Corby could definitely work on projecting his gaze outward more — we need to see those eyes! All the lights are on, but there's no one home.

After leaving the stage briefly, Corby and co return. Their encore features Empire (from Telluric), which then melds flawlessly into Sam Cooke's A Change Is Gonna Come. Corby live is a meditative audience experience. Note-perfect, Corby has so much to give but still appears to lack confidence when performing live; he needs to let the audience in to be truly memorable.