An intimate evening with Vance Joy

There were a few lumps in the throat as Mr Riptide himself Vance Joy treated the Tuning Fork faithful to an intimate solo acoustic set.

Young local up-and-coming folk singer Sophie Mashlan started the mood, winning over the similarly-aged female fans up front with relatable songs of tough love and heartbreak.

So soulful for someone who’s barely 18, her ballad on a recent Contiki tour affair and breakup – “He was a real dick” – got plenty of cheers. The six-song set was a showcase of haunting vocals and intricate finger work, and a forthcoming debut album should see her country styles crack the mainstream.

James Keogh, aka Aussie singer-songwriter Vance Joy (he changed his name in fear of mispronunciation), is here on the back of his successful sophomore album Nation of Two, landing on our shores straight off a European tour. He strutted onto the stage like a long lost mate just back from his OE, full of great yarns, a few songs and the biggest grin on his face. Him and his messy brown curls were an absolute charmer, with the crowd lapping up his – and his dad’s – stories of childhood, the four-seasons-in-one-day Melbourne weather and awkward open mic nights (note, don’t write your new song’s lyrics on the inside of your forearm).

He just happens to be in the country when one ginger-haired fellow song-smith is packing out stadiums, but tucked into a toasty Tuning Fork is where I’d rather be for some sweet-sounding acoustic guitar.

It’s been four long years since his Laneways gig and he opened with early hit Mess is Mine. His ode to The Beatles’ Norwegian Wood set the tone for the night – gorgeous melodies, intricate lyrics and one powerful voice. His earnest aaaah-oooh’s reverberated around the room, as the fans sung back to favourites like Fire and the Flood, Georgia and From Afar.

While Nation of Two has barely been out a month the crowd was already singing back the refrain from Take Your Time as Vance belted out ‘And you know my heart, well it’s waiting for your call’.

Acoustic gigs highlight skilled singer-songwriters, take away the backing band and you’ve still got the bones of a great song. And Vance’s bones are the best. As evident on the autobiographical Little Boy, Vance regaled us with a hilarious story of falling off his bike when he was nine, and the adult-sized crown he got for a chipped tooth. A universal tale that hit home for all those who’d spent time in a hospital as a kid, and for once phones were held back as Vance emotionally sang out ‘Little boy, don’t be scared’. It was one of many stories that night that made you understand the song-writing process and made each song just a little more special.

It was a fun run to the finish, as a ukulele was pulled out and plugged in for the infectious Saturday Sun, before he switched back to the guitar for my jam of 2018, Lay it on Me. The lyric ‘Your love’s always finding me out’, gives me a case of the feels every time. It was onto the second single off Nation of Two, We’re Going Home, before launching into his signature hit. The ukulele was back as he ripped into Riptide, and we didn’t even get the words wrong as we sung our hearts out.

And then the swooning was over. But 45 minutes of romantic acoustic pop wasn’t enough, and Vance returned to crack out a top-drawer cover of the Boss’s Dancing in the Dark. It was some night, but I can’t wait till he’s back September 29^th at the Auckland Town Hall and he lays it all on us with a full band. It will go off.

Clayton Barnett

More information about Vance Joy’s next show at the Auckland Town Hall can be found at https://www.aucklandlive.co.nz/show/vance-joy

SET LIST

• Mess is Mine
• Take Your Time
• Call If You Need Me
• I’m With You
• Fire and the Flood
• From Afar
• Like Gold
• Little Boy
• Georgia
• Saturday Sun
• Lay it on Me
• We’re Going Home
• Riptide
• ENCORE
• Dancing in the Dark (cover)

Click on any photo to view a gallery of images from Paddy Foss: