After a fairly busy few weeks, I really needed a bit of R and R. I found it this week at the performance of one of my favourite singers, Joshua Radin.

Unfortunately the slow dinner service at the delicious Italian restaurant we found meant that I missed all but the final song of Jim Bianco’s set. I’m really disappointed by that. He had an awesome folky pirate thing going on that I would have loved to hear more of.

Thankfully we were all settled in for Andy Bull. I’d enjoyed the music I’d heard from Andy before, but experiencing it in a live setting brought it to another level. This is probably one of the larger venues he’s played, but he made it feel so intimate with his stories about the songs and sweet, self conscious manner. It takes a very special performer to fill a theatre with just a voice and some keyboards. Despite being excited about Joshua’s appearance, I was a little sad to see him leave the stage.

The last time I saw Joshua he was playing at the uni bar, acoustic and solo for the most part. This show was a bit of a step up, in the hallowed halls of the Enmore Theatre with plugged in band mates in tow. One of the things I’ve always loved about Joshua Radin’s music was its intimacy. These are really small songs made for minimalist treatments. We didn’t always get that at this week’s show. Some songs received frenetic finishes they didn’t really need, particularly by the Danish drummer who seemed he was just waiting to join a big rock band. But for the most part the musical treatments were understated enough to keep me happy.

My favourite moments saw Joshua on his own though, acoustic guitar in hand creating music that was stripped back enough to let his lyrics shine through. Few artists could get away with leaving us with something as mellow as “Winter,” from his first album, but for me this encore was a clear highlight. I also loved hearing “Today,” the song that made me fall for him all those years ago, and my personal favourite “You’ve Got Growing Up To Do.”

Just like Andy Bull, Joshua is one of those special singers who shares himself with his audience. Hearing the way the songs took shape helped me see them in a whole new light, and listening to him speak of his fondness for our country endeared him to me even more.

It had its flaws, but a night with Joshua Radin is always a night well spent. Whether he brings the full band or not, I’ll be queuing up for tickets on his inevitable return.

Image source: Stephen Katulka