The Smith Street Band - Unplugged in Sydney at Enmore Theatre 12th March 2021

Mar 16

PHOTOS BY: SHIRAZ CENTER
REVIEW BY: AUSTIN WAGNER

The Smith Street Band from regional Victoria played out an outstanding concert the other night at the Enmore Theatre. Completely unplugged, the band, led by front man Wil Wagner, enthralled the audience with an awesome live performance of unparalleled energy and enthusiasm.

Supporting the band were Pinch Hitter, a well moulded and harmonious group that enticed the souls of the audience with their powerful folk-orchestral projection of sound. Similar to groups such as Mumford and Sons, Of Monsters and Men, as well as the John Butler Trio, they linked together gracious storytelling with strong melodies from the banjo and lower strings to inch on the growing momentum throughout their performance. Overall, a colourful combination of complementing sounds from cellos and flutes alike, that presented a unique atmosphere and gave insight into themes of home and the passage of life.

Later on, the Smith Street Band came on in full force with hard strumming rhythms and banging vocal verses, along with the unrelenting shatter dome of drumming to keep the audience engaged. On the night, Wil Wagner dominated the stage, never standing still for too long as he put everything into his lyrics, belting them out to the audience and often receiving a collective reply as everyone yelled back. He broke the distance between a performer and their audience, exploring the deep inner psyche of the average person through his words and the common problems and issues faced by many on the day-to-day basis. It is hard to compare such a band when there are truly very few others like them. Performing some of their absolute best, Smith Street played Self-control, an intense song with powerful primal vocals of pure emotion that echoed just how broken we are as human beings, or God is dead, a story of tragedy that is soul wrenching as a ballad but that is full of synchronous heavy hitting rhythms that constantly build to a climax that never descends. It takes a special artist and band to give their raw selves on stage and leave nothing left in the tank, a truly remarkable performance, that deserved its standing ovation with its finale of Death To The Lads, and a concert to remember for years to come.