The last time I saw Matthew E white was at the Royal Festival Hall with a full band, strings, etc. and it was a pretty faithful representation of the soft dreamy pop of the albums. Tonight though it’s a four piece electric band.
I take my position behind the sound man on the raised area as it’s a long thin room with a flat floor and the sightlines are generally poor. I await to see how the albums translate and I’m not disappointed.
Matthew E White proceeds to launch into his inner rock god trading guitar licks with his partners on stage. His vast mane of hair (only beaten by Timothy Showalter of Strand of Oaks as the most hirsute man in rock) swooshes around as if he is auditioning for a brother of the Nights Watch.
Highlights for me are still two of the tracks from the first album, ‘One of these Days’ and ‘Big Love’ but I’m sure no one thought he had this inner Hendrix inside him. There’s great banter between songs with the audience and his band mates complimenting a guy in the crowd for his politeness when he says ‘you’re welcome’ when Matt thanks the crowd. He also breaks into an observation where in England part of his audience has a 50 – 65 year old male demographic who have seen hundreds of shows who provide him with direct honest feedback ‘great shows but you have to work on your jokes’. I realise that I’m soon to join this merry band of men, 50 next year with 600 gigs under my belt.
So a good show if not what was expected. He's not Walter but this Mr White was certainly cooking tonight. Thank you Mr White, and it’s a big ‘you’re welcome’ from me too