Concert Review - Marlon Williams - 9th November 2017

By Wal Reid

Artist: Marlon Williams 

Date / Venue: Thursday November 9th, 2017 - Point Chevalier RSA, Auckland 

I always appreciate musician Marlon Williams’ monastic outlook on Love and Life, his lack of hedonistic aspirations in song and lyric, both,strike a chord with me. Unpretentiously honest, cutting through the twee bullshit prevalent on todays radio airwaves.

Tonight’s gig at the strange but Kiwi-as venue, the Point Chevalier RSA a fitting setting for Williams and band, who looked ‘chomping at the bit’ ready tofire-up and stroke the eager audience with his Country styled alternative songs.

Williams looked remarkably spritely and composed revealing finding comfort in hearing “Maori words” being spoken at the airport while pushing around his cart after arriving back here.His presence strong onstage attired in trademark tie sans hat, he performed uninhibited, guitar at the fore, appearing as if in auto-pilot mode while channelling the muse within. 

Opting to play a heap of new songs like the very catchy What’s Chasing Youor his newbie Nobody Gets What They Want the new single with Aldous Harding.  Perennial favourites Hello Miss Lonesome or Strange Things were noticeably missing but they didn’t seem out place or phase the sold out RSA crowd. 

With the freakishly musical wunderkind Dave Khan adding finesse with fiddle, guitar & keys, Gus Agars was solid on drums teaming up with Ben Woolley on bass providingbacking vocals& beefing up Williams’ unique dulcet tone – harmonic bliss. Woolley also seemed to have his own entourage who vocally expressed themselves at different points in the concert, especially when he filled in for Aldous Harding on Nobody Gets What They Want.

Williams voice transports the listener to an era when music seem untainted almost pure, his soft lilt given a workout on rockier numbers Dark Child and latest single Vampire Again, his voice almost styled on vocalist greats like Lennon or Reeves while stamping his own on Party Boyis one reason he’s has been garnishing attention from mainstream media.

Mutteringto the crowd “We’ve got time for a couple of more” much to the delight of the audience, the group left finishing on Love Is A Terrible Thing and a Screaming Jay Hawkins cover Portrait of a Man, it was definitely a high-noteand great climax to see one of the most understated musicians from this countryperform before he embarks on his World Tour next year.

Let’s hope those pesky Australians don’t claim him for themselves, otherwise, we may have to get ‘Cindy’ to go deal to them.

Marlon Williams New Zealand Tour Dates:

Fri 10 Nov - Auckland, Point Chevalier RSA
SOLD OUT!

Sat 11 Nov- Wellington, San Fran
SOLD OUT!

Sun 12 Nov- Christchurch, Blue Smoke
Tickets via Ticketmaster

Mon 13 Nov- Christchurch, Blue Smoke
SOLD OUT!

Australian Dates

Wed. Nov. 15 – Sydney, Australia @ Oxford Art Factory (SOLD OUT)
Thu. Nov. 16 – Melbourne, Australia @ Howler (SOLD OUT)
Fri. Nov. 17 – Mullumbimby, Australia @ Mullumbimby Music Festival
Sun. Nov. 19 – Melbourne, Australia @ Howler (SOLD OUT)
Mon. Nov. 20 – Melbourne, Australia @ Howler (SOLD OUT)

MARLON WILLIAMS
2018 TOUR DATES
Thu. Feb. 22 — Bristol, UK @ Louisiana
Fri. Feb. 23 — Manchester, UK @ Night & Day
Sat. Feb. 24 — Dublin, IE @ Whelans
Mon. Feb. 26 — Glasgow, IE @ King Tuts
Tue. Feb. 27 — Leeds, UK @ Community Room
Wed. Feb. 28 — London, UK @ Scala
Mon. Mar. 5 — Montreal, QC @ Petit Campus
Tue. Mar. 6 — Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
Thu. Mar. 8 — Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
Fri. Mar. 9 — Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
Sat. Mar. 10 — Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
Tue. Mar. 13 - Sat. Mar. 17 — Austin TX @ SXSW
Sun. Mar. 18 — Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
Mon. Mar. 19 — Dallas, TX @ Three Links Deep Ellum
Wed. Mar. 21 — Nashville, TN @ High Watt
Fri. Mar. 23 — Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
Sat. Mar. 24 — Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
Sun. Mar. 25 — Boston, MA @ Great Scott
Tue. Mar. 27 — Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Thu. Mar. 29 — Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
Sun. Apr. 1 — Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Tue. Apr. 3 — San Francisco, CA @ Swedish American Hall
Wed. Apr. 4 — Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram
Wed. Apr. 11 — Brussels, BE @ AB Club
Thu. Apr. 12 — Cologne, DE @ Yuca
Fri. Apr. 13 — Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Noord
Sat. Apr. 14 — Hamburg, DE @ Nochtwache
Sun. Apr. 15 — Copenhagen, DK @ Ideal Bar
Tue. Apr. 17 — Oslo, NO @ Cafe Mono
Wed. Apr. 18 — Stockholm, SE @ Kagelbanan
Fri. Apr. 20 — Berlin, DE @ Privatclub
Sat. Apr. 21 — Munich, DE @ Orange House
Sun. Apr. 22 — Vienna, CH @ Chelsea
Tue. Apr. 24 — Bologna, IT @ Locomotiv
Wed. Apr. 25 — Zurich, CH @ Bogen F
Thu. Apr. 26 — Besancon, FR @ La Rodia
Fri. Apr. 27 — Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere
Sat. Apr. 28 — Utrecht, NL @ Ekko

NEW ZEALAND MAY 2018
Sat. May 19 — Wellington, NZ @ Hunter Lounge
ticketmaster.co.nz | 0800 111 999
 
Tue. May 22 — Dunedin, NZ @ Glenroy
ticketmaster.co.nz | 0800 111 999
 
Wed. May 23 — Christchurch, NZ @ Foundry
ticketmaster.co.nz | 0800 111 999
 
Fri. May 25 — Auckland, NZ @ Auckland Town Hall
ticketmaster.co.nz | 0800 111 999