Live Review: Paul Kelly, Urthboy

To some the pairing of an Australian hip hop artist and one of this country's finest traditional songwriters may have seemed odd. Yet when faced with the reality of it few would have left muttering dissent after witnessing Urthboy's opening set. With a live drummer, keyboards and the sublime voice of Jane Tyrrell accompanying him, Tim Levinson set about painting vivid imagery with thought-provoking lyricism backed by fine yet minimal musical accompaniment that owed as much to funk and soul as it did to hip hop. Levinson displayed humility and intellect as he sang/rapped about everything from immigration to neglect of the elderly and was warmly received by the arriving audience.

Paul Kelly needs no introduction, yet his first task for the evening was to explain that his recent album Spring And Fall would open the show, played in full with no between song commentary from him. It is one of his finest records, and accordingly, it was given a warm and tender treatment by Kelly and band. Nephew Dan Kelly (guitars), Bree van Reyk (drums), J Walker (keys, guitar) and Zoe Hauptmann (bass) were all exceptional players and backing vocalists, perfectly matching the required sensitivity or intensity of the songs. Hearing Spring And Fall live brought its song cycle aspect even more into focus, its arc from the first flushes of new love to the bitter aftertaste inspiring moist eyes and the occasional flutter of laughter from the enthralled audience.

With Spring And Fall completed we were treated to another 90 minutes of classic Paul Kelly that ran the gamut from the perennial but never tired Bradman to the surging melodies of seminal songs such as Before Too Long, To Her Door, Sweet Guy, Deeper Water, Dumb Things, From St Kilda To Kings Cross and the beautiful From Little Things Big Things Grow (featuring vocals from Urthboy and band). It was a set that highlighted the extent to which Kelly has maintained such a consistently high quality of songwriting over his career. Aside from the faultless performance of his band, Kelly's voice sounded better than ever as it channeled the folk singer, the sneering post punk and the country storyteller. In a venue that sounded sublime and with music bursting with cultural importance and memories, this was a very special performance.