Live Review: Iron & Wine, Fraser A Gorman

It was disappointing to find that, contrary to his Bandcamp blurb, Fraser A Gorman was wearing matching clothes, although he was happily sporting "unkempt hair" and an "aw shucks grin" as promised.

The sunburst effect on his otherwise black acoustic guitar suggested there was a raw fire burning inside of the instrument as he performed a number of original songs and a Golden Smog cover, all of which were warmly received by an appreciative crowd.

Making his first ever visit to Perth, Iron & Wine's Sam Beam brought with him a versatile four-piece backing band, some clouds that resembled cotton candy that hung from the ceiling and changed colour as the lights hit them as well as his beautiful singing voice: a sublimely breathy delivery that typically has journos grasping vainly at superlatives. His speaking voice had quite an effect, too: a seductive, rich baritone combined with a southern drawl and charming humility that wooed the audience's collective socks off. The band - double bass, cello, keys and softly struck percussion - was an unusual combination, but effective as the only instrument occupying the same mid-range tones as Beam's vocals and guitar were the sensitively worked keys; giving Beam's fascinating voice more space in which to work its singular mojo.

Although some of Beam's more experimental arrangements are not easy to reproduce on stage, his compadres showed great skill and resourcefulness when creating atmospheric backdrops, even firing up the inviting clickety-clack rhythm of Pagan Angel And A Borrowed Car with spoons. But Beam's voice was arguably at its most compelling during an unaccompanied trio of songs, which included a cover of The Postal Service's Such Great Heights - a shining example of how adaptable great songs can be - and Naked As We Came, during which his graceful guitar arpeggios flowed like water over coins. Beam remarked that he was glad we like super-depressing songs and wryly warned that he had a couple more. There was some comic relief, though, when a memory fail during Jesus The Mexican Boy brought on a convulsive giggling fit from Beam, who couldn't resist commenting mid-song, "This song has so many damn words."

The one-song encore of Bird Stealing Bread received a spontaneous standing ovation, capping off a performance that had the warmth of an intimate date, one that hopefully won't take another 15 years to follow up.