Live Review: Steve Gunn

The last weekend of Van Gogh And The Seasons sees this Friday night pulling a huge crowd for both the exhibition and Steve Gunn's show. Van Gogh And The Seasons focuses on the pastoral and the coming and going of the seasons. Pesky guided tours see flocks of art lovers cooing in adoration in front of their favourite canvases. Moving through the gallery, we take a journey from the sombre and mysterious shades of autumn through to the chilly desolation of winter and then onto the floral glories of spring, which is where this exhibition starts to explode with colour and light. Summer concentrates on the soft golden hues of the sun and wheat fields being harvested. The exhibition launches this evening on a decidedly pastoral tone, but before we can exit through the gift store many pause to take a selfie with Van Gogh's rather famous self-portrait.

The lights in NGV's Great Hall are dimmed down to darkness as a spotlight takes aim and bathes Steve Gunn in its soft, fuzzy yellow glow. Tonight, we get an intimate solo show from the prolific singer-songwriter. Gunn's hands slide across the strings of his guitar as he gently strums and nimbly fingerpicks to create the most delicate and dreamy sounds. Gunn's fluid guitar sounds like a gentle breeze rustling among the leaves. His mellow vocals fade to the back the mix and the meaning of his words becomes irrelevant as we just sit back and soak up the warm, sunny vibes. It is mesmerising to watch Gunn work his magic and we're reminded of his origins in Kurt Vile & The Violators even though Gunn tends to stick to dealing folksy Americana these days. Gunn has released so many albums since 2007 that it's hard to know exactly what he might choose to play. The set starts with Old Strange before settling on cuts from Eyes On The Lines.  During Old Strange, Gunn has a 'shhh, I'm concentrating' moment, complaining that a bunch of idiots who can't stop jabbering are distracting. Otherwise, Gunn doesn't have much to say apart from thanking the crowd for choosing to spend their time with him this evening. The tunes rather seamlessly blend into one other. Giving us just a handful of songs, Gunn plays extended versions with lengthy guitar solos that showcase his ample technical skill. While impressing the crowd, Gunn never strays from the soft, dreamy intent of his music that is at once introspective, meditative and completely immersive. A wildly mild evening with a very talented singer-songwriter.