Live Review: George Ezra

It’s Not Unusual by Tom Jones plays as everyone takes their place on stage. “Hello, ladies and gentlemen. It blows my mind to see you all here when I’m so far from home,” says English singer-songwriter George Ezra. He’s ready to go with a setlist of new and old songs, giving us one from each of his three albums to start off, including his recent uplifting hit Anyone For You (Tiger Lily).

With a full eight-piece band, including a brass section, it’s a joyful live music experience that takes us on a journey across the world with songs including Barcelona, Manila and Budapest. “To write these songs, I’ve taken myself away, and I get to know new places where I take notes of everything I’m seeing and then when I get home, I write about it.” 

Photo Credit: Andrew Briscoe

We live vicariously through Ezra’s travel experiences, and we can literally hear him smiling as he expresses his pure emotion of happiness as he sings. Ezra even comments on how it dawns on him just how much it’s making him smile, particularly whilst playing some of his older songs.

To celebrate his brand-new album Gold Rush Kid, Ezra and his band are wearing matching denim outfits on theme with the album cover shot, with the title written across the back of Ezra’s jacket in bright yellow text. They share the title song of the same name, which sums up the whole record perfectly. It’s an introspective, upbeat and open-hearted feel-good anthem that radiates joy to every corner.

Pretty Shining People is a special moment in the set when about halfway through, Ezra introduces us to some words to sing along together. The audience joins in the call-and-response for the bridge as he sings,” Don’t we all need love?” We respond with, “The answer is easy.” It’s a beautiful moment, and he commands the audience so effortlessly to join in and share it. 

Photo Credit: Andrew Briscoe

We notice the band leave the stage (except for his keyboardist) for an intimate performance of his heartfelt ballad Hold My Girl under the spotlight. His baritone vocals echo throughout the bowl, and we feel every bit of the emotional energy he puts into the song. The band return to the stage for Sweetest Human Being Alive, which is a great follow-up to hear side by side.

Ezra continues to show off his incredible range with another new song titled In The Morning, where he effortlessly transitions from his signature deep pitch to a sweet falsetto flawlessly. He goes on to share a beautiful personal story about a party he attended which was a funeral of three lives lost. “I wrote three lines in my notebook about this celebration of life that stuck with me. The three lines were Green Green Grass,” he announces before diving into the catchy and uplifting anthem.

The band shares an impressive instrumental jam as the musicians take the front on the stage for a moment, including a huge drumming solo to bring the energy levels to an ultimate high. Together they round out the set with the most danceable, shout-out-loud songs, including Paradise and Shotgun. Ezra tells us he asked Sydney last night if they could sing louder than us, so we prove they’re no match for a Melbourne audience.