Matt Corby, Kita Alexander - Enmore Theatre, Sydney 4/05/16

Guys, I don’t mean to alarm you, but Matt Corby is actually The Scatman. I mean, why stick to words when every sound that comes out of your mouth is #flawless? Not only is his vocal control and range legitimately mind-blowing, just when you think he couldn’t possibly be any more impressive, he’ll go and whip out a casual flute solo. Yep, the kid earned himself some serious IRL praise hands emojis during his opening track Belly Side Up.

When you think about it, nothing builds anticipation quite like a three-week wait. At 6pm, before the doors were even open, a solid line had spilt down both sides of Enmore Road.

Of course, this meant there was plenty of support for Kita Alexander, who had the crowd swaying along to her laid-back alt-pop tunes and Triple J faves Like You Want To and My Own Way. Her killer cover of The Weeknd’s In The Night also deserves an honourable mention.

By the time Corby took to the stage, it was very clear that the substantial number of people who’d managed to make it back after last month’s cancelled show were more than ready for an impressive performance – thankfully, they weren’t disappointed a second time.

Though his debut album Telluric is still a pretty fresh drop, it didn’t stop fans joining in for the chorus of Knife’s Edge, followed by No Harm, but it was Resolution that really got them going. With no fuss or pretention Corby delivered an epic rendition of the old favourite. The kind of performance that’s impossible not to get swept up in.

It’s obvious by now that regardless of his highly introverted manner, Matt Corby sure knows how to command the attention of a room. You can expect very little eye contact and forget about banter between tracks – there’s no need for any fuss here, talent like his tends to speak pretty loudly for itself.

After belting out Wrong Man, he finally broke his silence. “I guess I should say sorry. The first time we tried to do this I couldn’t make notes come out of my mouth at all… but thanks for coming back.”

Needless to say all was long forgiven.

The loop pedal got a run for his acapella hit Monday before things took a trip to funky town with Smooth Lady Wine and Oh Oh Oh. The slow build of Brother resulted in a sing-along of heroic proportions before Matt wrapped up the set with the rollicking blues banger Souls A’fire.

Why Dream was the first of a three-track encore, chased up by Empires Attraction that bled into a sultry cover of Sam Cooke’s A Change Is Gonna Come.

Having now witnessed Matt Corby at his full potential, his decision to cancel last month makes perfect sense. His might just be some of the best live vocals you’ll ever hear. Yep, that’s a huge call, but when you can render a crowd awestruck with a single note, well you’re certainly doing something right.

Photos by Annette Geneva