When Melbourne’s Young Werther took to the stage in the gorgeous Raval room at the Macquarie Hotel, launching into “I Don’t Want to Go to the Circus”, I have to say I was a little surprised. I thought they were headlining! But it was local Lucy Hall who took these honours, so I went ahead to enjoy my earlier-than-expected Young Werther performance, in town supporting their recently released LP: Knights of the Department Store.
Led by
Michael Young, there’s an easy listening, polished and commercial vibe to the Young Werther sound – in no way a negative aspect. This is a 5 piece who are talented beyond their years, and together are as tight as they come. The music translates quite well from what you hear on record – and it is presented in a virtually identical manner, with Michael’s voice coming through strong, as he picks away at his guitar, telling us some stories along the way.
But that doesn’t stop them from spicing things up a bit, while having a great time on stage. This became increasingly the case as the hour-long set moved ahead – “Break The News” was an early highlight, some guitar
shredding in “
A Man Dressed in Lightning” proved pure entertainment – and
then there was the climactic “The Great Indoors”, during which Young donned the keys with supreme energy, the rest of the band jamming until it was time to say goodnight.
And by the time this had happened, we were all sad to see them go. The set which led to this saw a little more than half of the new album covered, with a few tracks from their earlier EPs (such as “Bird Made of Ice” and “Come on Back Here” performed solo and acoustic) and a new one, too (“Promises Promises”). This is a frontman of supreme on stage talent, and the same must be said about the rest of the band. I hope word spreads about these guys – they’re simply too good to miss. And to have enjoyed their company in the delights of the new Raval room, seated amongst cabaret décor, the two couldn’t have fit together more perfectly.
But it was singer/songwriter Lucy Hall who had the honour of closing out the evening – playing one of her first shows since returning from overseas, the crowd understandably containing quite a few of her close friends. She began her set perched atop a step ladder, donning a ukele and singing the track “If We Were Birds Too”. It was instantly clear that Lucy is a supreme storyteller, doing her best to introduce each song with an amusing anecdote; the song taking its place as a representation of an experience in her life.
But it was her voice that gives Lucy the right to sit high atop the rest – aided by a step ladder or not! It was simply stunning. She moved onto the acoustic guitar, before stepping down and introducing Phil Stack on the double bass, and later Tim Warner on the drums – the laid back sounds becoming grander with each passing song. Much like Young Werther before her, she was a talent we were sad to see leave the stage. But, like many good shows, an encore there would be! And they would return the next night to do it all over again…
Keep your eyes open for both artists! This was an evening of truly talented performers – I’m sure the ANZACs would be proud.
Young Werther Setlist:
I Don’t Want to Go to the Circus
No One in their Right Mind
Break The News
Bird Made of Ice
Around The World
A Man Dressed in Lightning
Come On Back Here
Chivalry for Beginners
Cornish Green
Promises Promises
The Great Indoors
