Marlon Williams
25th May 2018
Auckland Town Hall, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Adam Jones. Photography by Doug Peters.
As autumn begins to grip and the evening’s bad weather draws in, the drab reality outside is a far cry to the electric atmosphere that was forming inside Auckland’s Town Hall. Soon the fans began to fill this infamous institution in eager anticipation of seeing Marlon Williams & The Yarra Benders make a triumphant return to Auckland; their first since the two intimate gigs they performed last November.
Tonight’s show is a special occasion for Marlon & the boys, as it marks their largest performance to date and is a fitting end to a hugely successful international tour in support of Make Way for Love, the recently released album acting as an emotional liberation after the breakup of Marlon & his long-time girlfriend, Aldous Harding. The Auckland Town Hall has certainly hosted some of the greats during its 100-year history; Roy Orbison, The Beatles and The Beach Boys have all played here; so it’s a truly fitting that New Zealand’s brightest star, Lyttleton native Marlon Williams is about to share the same stage as his predecessors, cementing his spot in this venues legacy.
Julia Deans (of Fur Patrol fame) took to the stage first tonight with her trademark candy-apple red Fender Coronado, dressed in a striking maroon layered dress. She quickly warmed the crowd up on this cold evening with her eccentric blend of pop-rock, taking to the stage and opening with the brooding ‘Clandestine’, a song inspired by “the moment you realise you’ve been a dick”. As Julia and her band, made up of Richie Pickard on bass duties and Steve Bremmer on drums were gradually joined on stage by the talented Celia Church on backing vocals and Anna Coddington on guitar, she belted out ‘The Wish You Wish You Had’, an upbeat track showcasing the harmonies she shares with Celia and the rest of the band. Despite the audience marring the performance slightly with their chatter as the Great Hall continued to pack out, Julia kept it positive and delivered an engaging performance of ‘Walking In The Sun’, a soaring synth song pondering what we could achieve if we stopped wasting energy on the mistreatment of minorities and gender inequality. Julia closed her set solo, with the title track from her newest album, ‘We Light Fire’, an acoustic song that explores how we as humans use fire as a ceremonious tool for marking occasions, regardless of differing cultures. A touching song brought about by the passing of her grandfather, it captivated and garnered applause and certainly would have convinced more than one new fan to purchase her latest album immediately from the merchandise stall.
The buzz that builds up waiting for Marlon Williams to take the stage is quickly becoming customary with his performances; this is mainly due to the ability he possesses to make a room filled with over two thousand people feel like an intimate cocktail bar performance. It really is quite remarkable, and tonight is no exception. Looking like the incarnation of ZZ Top’s hit ‘Sharp Dressed Man’, Marlon Williams, dressed in a black suit took to the stage, the raucous applause filling the hall as he stood under a sole spotlight. Followed quickly by the Yarra Benders, none of them appeared to be showing any signs of exhaustion despite the gruelling fifty date tour they’ve undertaken since February which has seen them sell out shows across the US, Europe & Australia.
Kicking things off with ‘Come to Me’, the room was completely silent, the fans in awe as this captivating frontman controlled the stage. It cannot be overstated; Marlon has the confidence and stage prowess of a performer far beyond his years. Moments of calm from tracks ‘Beautiful Dress’ and ‘Everyone’s Got Something to Say’ were beautifully contrasted by the stirring crescendos of ‘Dark Child’, Dave Kahn’s guitar solo ringing out across the room. The talent on display from the Yarra Benders, complete with crowd favourite Ben Woolley on bass, Angus Agars on drums and newest member, Dan Lunscombe on guitar and synth, perfectly complimented Williams’s soaring and completely encompassing voice, delivering the emotional impact that Make Way for Love fully intended to achieve.
‘Vampire Again’ had Williams stalking the stage, the crowd bathed in a red glow as he played the part of the ferocious predator. Followed up with a beautiful performance of ‘Nobody Gets What They Want’, Ben Woolley took the place of Aldous Harding much to the audience’s pleasure. Williams also mixed covers in to the show, with Yoko Ono’s ‘Nobody See’s Me Like You Do’ and Barry Gibbs ‘Carried Away’ benefitting from his crooning and at times husky charms. Following ‘Make Way For Love’, the title track which draws comparisons to Roy Orbison and performers of past times, the band left the stage in darkness, the only sounds coming from the thousands of hands rapturously clapping and feet stomping demanding an encore and more time to be spent with Williams and Co.
They did not disappoint, coming back out for an impassioned rendition of ‘Love Is a Terrible Thing’, again showing off the talent of Ben Woolley who joined Williams on saxophone and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins ‘Portrait Of A Man’, another trademark track for the artist which resulted in a standing ovation after the band gave absolute everything they had; Williams’s intense vocals leaving everyone in attendance with goose bumps. One more encore was forthcoming, with Williams coming out on his own to deliver the performance of the night with ‘When I Was a Young Girl’, taking centre stage under a solitary spotlight.
As quickly as the evening had begun, it had ended. Despite what Williams may say with his track ‘Nobody Gets What They Want’, everyone who had the pleasure of experiencing Williams live tonight got exactly what they wanted; an artist who is a master of his craft and who can only continue to grow stronger with time.
Marlon Williams:
Julia Deans:
Were you there at the Auckland Town Hall for this magnificent emotional alt-country gig? Or have you seen Marlon Williams perform live some other time? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Come to Me
- I Know a Jeweller
- Everyone’s Got Something to Say
- Beautiful Dress
- I Didn’t Make a Plan
- Fire of Love
- Is Anything Wrong
- Can I Call You
- Dark Child
- Lost Without You
- Nobody See’s Me Like You Do [Yoko Ono Cover]
- What’s Chasing You
- Party Boy
- Carried Away [Barry Gibb Cover]
- Vampire Again
- Nobody Gets What They Want
- Make Way For Love
- Love Is a Terrible Thing [Encore]
- Portrait Of A Man [Screamin’ Jay Hawkins cover] [Encore]
- When I Was A Young Girl [Second Encore]
This content is a part of our NZ Music Month coverage, celebrating old, new and upcoming Kiwi artists. For more information on NZ Music Month you can visit their website.
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