Xavier RuddCurrently in the middle of a world tour in support of his ninth studio album, Storm Boy, Xavier Rudd blasted onto the stage, drawing from a multitude of musical and cultural influences to deliver a spectacularly breath-taking live show.
The performance was prefaced by a fitting warm-up set by Rudd's brother Maximilian, drawing on his substantial proficiency on a seven-string guitar and interesting re-arrangements of known songs like I Got A Woman originally by Ray Charles.
From the moment Xavier Rudd hit the stage, the next two and a bit hours were pure magic; it's hard to do the show justice with words and describe how the timing of each moment was just right. Uplifting songs like Follow The Sun and Honeymoon Bay pinpointed Rudd's vocals and guitar playing as a centerpiece to build on a bigger sound. At times, the show took on an almost political tone, with Rudd taking time to speak on social issues and through songs like Flag and Come People, also touching on concepts like being kind to our planet, having love for all and celebrating First Nations culture.
As a multi-instrumentalist, Rudd made use of an extensive range of instruments, including a harmonica on Times Like These and didgeridoo, maybe most impressively playing solo both didgeridoo and drums on Lioness Eye. Dominated by ska rhythms, the set was well paced, moving between effortlessly mellow, reggae-inspired numbers and high-energy rock tracks with long drawn out and exciting breakdowns.
Particular credit must go to the members of the backing band with Yosa Haile on bass, Ian Peres on keyboard and Lisa Purmodh on drums, who rose spectacularly to the challenge of matching Rudd's enthusiasm and zest for music: the intricacy of the rhythm section which alone could have warranted a show to itself it was so outstanding. It's also worth acknowledging the undeniably well-crafted lighting as well as a great sounding live mix. In fact, in most aspects Storm Boy felt like one perfect, jaw-dropping moment after the other.
