Written by Jemma Nott

It took a while before Matt Corby finally reached the stage after a long night of great indie and folk-y dance tunes, but as he did the crowd went wild.

I couldn’t help but feel swept in the excitement surrounding me in the mosh pit. Matt instantly took the crowd aback as he started with one of the more soulful and sad songs featured on his EP Into the Flame. A hush fell over the mosh pit as we all became captivated by the raw energy and emotion this man seems to put into every word that leaves his mouth. And it sounds so good.

A few more songs in and we begin to hear the back stories behind some of his work. It’s no secret that Matt Corby doesn’t like to get too personal in interviews when it comes to the meanings behind his songs, so it felt like a special treat for The Metro as he went on to describe the song ‘Big Eyes’ as being about a surrealistic dream and a reflection of his own current stage in life. The crowd laughed as he explained that ‘Big Eyes’ is often mistaken for something “deep and meaningful” when it’s actually because of his dream about a sentient being – “maybe God” which “would probably have big eyes.”

Of course we were all hoping for a special appearance by Kimbra on this song, as she has done around the country lately at some of Matt’s sets, however, his friend Bree accompanied him instead. Bree Tranter along with many other of Matt’s musical buddies accompanied him onstage that night and are predominantly the same friends who helped him to record the same songs in the studio.

There is definitely something about Matt Corby that just simply and effortlessly wins over a live audience. There is a simple vulnerability and charisma that goes along with his onstage personality. Bree also added to the sweetness of the atmosphere, as what seemed like her nerves and raw honesty, worked well alongside Matt.

One thing is for certain, this guy has definitely grown up since good ol’ Aussie Idol and I thank my lucky stars as I’m sure many Matt Corby fans do that he hasn’t taken the same route as other idol contestants.

I would definitely recommend staying tuned for his new album, which he will be going back into the studio to record after he has finished hitting the road. We received a preview of what might be on the new album and if that is anything to go by he is still making plenty of indie winners, accompanied by a bit more of a classic Aussie rock feel. Definitely worth looking out for.

I’m not going to lie when I first heard Alpine, I thought that they were an underground European Indie collective. But that’s because the first time I heard them was alongside a list of other great British indie collectives, during my regular trawls through the online world for relatively undiscovered indie music.. I was right, except these guys are true blue Aussies!

With two female lead singers, “girl band” doesn’t even begin to describe these guys. There is a keyboard, guitar, drums, bass and the two women are pulling out cow bells and tambourines surreptitiously throughout songs. (Not too mention the rest of the band are made up of men).

Their sound is definitely fresh and many of their songs are such an infusion of sound the entire Metro Theatre was shaking under the pressure. But it works, very well.

The two lead women definitely carry the entertainment part of the band. Jumping around on stage and wearing American-Indian-inspired face-paint, I am almost put in mind of Crystal Castles, but minus the fairly annoying vocoder. All these guys rely on is definite raw talent.

The crowd were definitely won over by this enthusiastic pop-collective and their most popular songs right now ‘Village,’ which was also the song featured in Misfits, and ‘Hands’ went over well with the crowd.

These guys will want to get you jumping up and down, and, really, why should you fight it? Just dance, but to Alpine…not Lady Gaga. Unless you’re into that.

These guys have just came off their “Hands Across Australia Tour” at the start of the year and have been taking it on the road again with Matt Corby. Next Aussie tour, these guys are definitely worth keeping in mind.

We Are the Birdcage are a relatively understated two-piece, with ukulele. This band definitely win the award for cuteness for the night.

However, I’m not sure whether it is the understatement of a two-piece with the soft voices, ukulele and acoustic guitar but these guys left little impact on my psyche. Of course, they had the hardest job of opening the show, but they didn’t deliver in originality or in live-show charisma.

The fact that their performance is quite raw and vulnerable meant that it was soft enough to draw people in, but they didn’t translate any of the more emotional side to their music.

They had plenty of fans in the crowd, but the audience wasn’t very captivated by We Are the Birdcage. In fairness, their closing song was definitely a stomper and they had people humming along.

I find, however, with all the great indie presences out there, We Are the Birdcage aren’t bringing anything hugely different to the table. If I closed my eyes that night these guys could have been any folky, indie band on the planet. They don’t seem to have a musical signature yet and nor do their live performances, and without it, they tend to drift towards seeming like just another cute pair with a uke.

Review Score: 4/5

For more information on Matt Corby please visit his official website www.mattcorby.com.au