Live Review: Toby Martin

Toby Martin, formerly of the band Youth Group, recently released an album called Songs From Northam Avenue which was inspired by time spent in the Sydney suburb of Bankstown. Martin and his band prove to be a fitting choice to play the NGV's Friday Nights series for Van Gogh and the Seasons. Both are artistic expressions inspired by observing and celebrating one's environment, whether it's the wheat fields in the south of France or a derelict shopping centre in Sydney's outer suburbs. 

Beginning with Dreams In German, we are taken on a journey through Bankstown and the lives of some of its residents. Tonight's set draws entirely from that album, clearly a passion project for Martin. Correctional Complex and Olive Tree are good reminders that Martin's gentle voice is best complemented by slower, more ruminative songs. Another clear highlight is Lim's Song, during much of which his voice is accompanied only by dan bau - a traditional Vietnamese string instrument - and the occasional thump of a double bass. Lim's Song offers the strongest melody of the night, with its refrain, "It's different when you know them" taking on different meanings as it repeats throughout the song. 

Martin is a scholar of music (this isn't just an expression - he has a PhD in the stuff) and this intellectual approach to music comes across in tonight's performance. He has a thoughtful and focused stage presence, but not an especially charming or riveting one. Musically, it's fairly standard guitar/bass/drums soft indie-pop overlaid with a couple of 'world' instruments, like the aforementioned dan bau, and qanun, a Middle-Eastern plucked string instrument. Unfortunately, these instruments are relegated to being musical garnish, rather than integral elements woven into the fabric of the songs. Similarly, some songs would have benefited from incorporating different voices, rather than having all of these stories filtered through the dude from Youth Group. 

One way in which other voices are brought into tonight's performance is through short videos of interviews - backing musicians talking about their experiences of Western Sydney, their instruments and this project - interspersed between songs. These clips add to the performance immeasurably by providing some diversity of perspective, plus crucial context. The set ends on a high note with the upbeat and thematically apt Spring Feeling. We leave the NGV with a spring in our step and some thoughts about the state of multiculturalism in contemporary Australia. It's an unusual combination, but presumably Martin would be delighted.