Standing against the barrier at the front of the crowd, the theatre fills up, packed to the rafters (literally), awaiting the night’s entertainment. It’s pleasantly cool, unlike most standing events and the neon glow of UV light beams from the stage – the crowd are ready for the night’s first act, Annie Eve. Timid as a shrew and overwhelmed by the intense number of bodies before her, she says a quiet ‘Hello’ into the mic and away she runs with the music.
The guitar is almost as big as she is, but she comfortably picks away to her intricately melodic tunes. Her voice; unique and in control, fits perfectly with the quirky, folky sound of her music. The electric guitarist leads the way with powerful, rhythmic finger picking and an enthusiastic cellist rocks the crowd with and intensely loud, ground-quaking performance. Soft vocals and harmonies push their way through from Annie Eve’s female drummer and together, the band whip the crowd into an unexpected state of awe.
The beautiful tones of electric guitar do not overpower Annie’s soft vocals, they pull the sound together, creating an overall pleasant and enjoyable music experience. Her most famous track ‘Elvis’ is welcomed by those who have heard it before with a ‘WOO’ and the set ends on a wonderful note. The crowd explode into applause, and everyone is ready for the main act, Matt Corby, to take to the stage.
A half hour interlude separates the performances and technicians scurry around the stage like elves in preparation for the night’s headliner.
In the distance, a rugged man takes a seat at the keyboard, ready to start the show. The crowd delay in realisation that he is there and welcome him with cheers and applause. He waves at the audience and smiles nervously, ready to perform his first track, ‘Made of Stone’. Perfectly simplistic, his fingers flutter their way through the intro, and he sings his first line. Completely focused, his vocals are perfect. The first half of the performance is stripped back, just Matt and the piano whilst the spotlight shines down on him. The band appear from out of the darkness and join in with the performance, creating tension and impact, bringing the whole sound into a brand new light. 
When the time comes for his most soulful of tracks ‘Souls A Fire’, the audience are ready for it, giving a loud, excited cheer in anticipation. The band take it away with the distorted guitar, organ and slow drum beat, really embedding the American blues feel to the track. Matt Corby throws himself into the performance, feeling each and every word that leaves his lips, throwing in vocal tricks that would make Mariah Carey stop and listen.
The body of the crowd rocks along to the music with the band. Never have I seen artists lose themselves in the moment as much as Matt and his band. All six of them, eyes closed, feeling every beat, every note, every motion as though it was an outer body experience. The final leg of the song is just an explosion of talent coming together; a climax of soul that completely rocks the house. Every person in the audience can feel the passion and an eruption of deafening applause follows.
Each and every performance by Matt Corby and the band is breathtaking. He reaches every note in every song, and his unique, rugged, jagged vocals feel angelic at times. He is able to emulate every emotion through the soul of his voice. As he stands before you, he searches himself to find the memory and the feeling that his song portrays. He is truly an artist. Whether he’s playing the piano or guitar, he is flawless, his all round technical capabilities are difficult to match. The band complement each other as their individual performances gel as one, creating a seamless, fluid masterpiece on every track. 
Performing his more upbeat tracks such as ‘Brother’ and ‘Resolution’, Matt and the band create an energy in the room that involves the audience. The artists and the crowd are as one as the audience sing along to the tunes and howl along to ‘Brother’. When the more slow-tempo tracks such as ‘Untitled’ and ‘Big Eyes’ are playing out, the focus is drawn completely to Matt where he is in his zone reaching the depths of his soul as the audience take a moment to stop and listen in awe.
He plays ‘Big Eyes’ in the encore, and is joined on stage with his female flautist who is not only wonderfully talented at the flute, but her classically soft falsetto vocals are a perfect contrast to Matt’s deeply rugged tones.
The venue itself is a perfect spot for artists like Matt Corby and it is easy to see why it is such a premier venue for live music. It is small enough to feel intimate, but big enough to generate the perfect buzz. The lighting perfectly complemented the music, flashing in time with the beat of up beat tracks, and creating a serene ambience as the more intense tracks were performed.
Overall, the gig was an incredible experience. At £14 a ticket, it was definitely amazing value for money – a show I will see again, and a show I will never forget. It is only a matter of time before Matt Corby is fully recognised for his sheer, raw talent and I recommend that if anyone has the chance to see him at one of the festivals this year (Latitude, Somerset House Series, Blissfields) that they go and enjoy the beautiful experience and the pleasure that his music brings.
Thanks to Danielle Francis for the pictures and video!
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