There is something really soothing about a heartbreak song whether your’re listening just to shed a tear, to live in a cluster of feelings or even to be comfortable with the feeling of emptiness. And Marlon Williams’ sophomore record ‘Make Way For Love’ perfected the ultimate mix of tragic hopelessness and the romantic strive for hope. To celebrate the release of the album the New Zealand singer-songwriter conducted a massive sold out tour of Australia which saw him play one of his final dates of the Australian leg to a packed Brisbane crowd. With the opening notes of ‘Come To Me’ he stood under a single spotlight and serenaded the crowd before his live band harmonically kicked in halfway through. Bathed in blue lighting ‘I Know A Jeweller’ and ‘Everyone’s Got Something To Say’ followed and had every person in The Triffid instantly swooning. He sat down at his piano to perform the intimate ‘Beautiful Dress’ before introducing ‘I Didn’t Make A Plan’ by admitting “This one is a sad song”. The crowd giggled at the irony as his whole back catalogue has a very sad and reflective undertone and he quickly chipped back “That one was pretty upbeat if you ask me”. His quirky personality shined through these little moments and highlighted a different side to the artist that you don’t get to hear through his songs and visuals. Following a long band outro for ‘Dark Child’ Williams introduced his band with an upbeat game show esque feel before admitting things were about to get a little weirder with a cover of Yoko Ono’s ‘Nobody Sees Me Like You Do’. He adapted this song so beautifully and completely gave it an original reworking. Picking up the pace for “a shitty song about a shitty dude” ‘Party Boy’ lightened the mood before he delivered a couple more moody and beautiful songs. ‘Nobody Gets What They Want’, ‘Make Way For Love’, ‘Vampire Again’ and a cover of Olivia Newton John’s ‘Carried Away’ had you feelings all the feels before he waved the crowd goodbye “That’s us, bye”. But he quickly returned for ‘Love Is A Terrible Thing’ and a cover of Screamin Jay Hawkins ‘Portrait Of A Man’ which fittingly tied together this emotional set. Throughout the whole show you were transported back to a time where Elvis Presley and Roy Orbinson were at their peak because his vocals were so raw and soothing. He’s successfully combined that soulful, alternative folk sound with country, soft rock and jazz influences that brings these moody songs about heart break to life. He also manages to deliver a romantic outlook that will have you finding it hard to not fall in love with him right then and there. His live show is a somber yet captivating affair which showcases his raw talent and pure emotion.
Check out the full photo gallery captured by The Raveyard Photography here
Photos by Blake Lewis