Live Review: Leon Bridges, Noah Kahan

The Hordern Pavilion can feel like a cavernous shell at times, but Noah Kahan brought people together at the front with a rousing set of songs. The 22-year-old started with some of his sensitive folk-pop, and he wasn't short of wit on the mic, introducing his talented band lest he be seen as a "Jewish Ed Sheeran".

Playing a selection of tracks from his self-titled EP, along with a couple of new ones, Kahan showed off an excellent falsetto, and although his songs are very safe, nice and well put together, it was hard to find a highlight. That was until the crowd reacted to his global hit of last year, Hurt Somebody, which landed at #42 in the end-of-year ARIA chart. A humble musician on the rise, but the jury is out as to whether we’ll see him headlining a room this size in the future. 

Leon Bridges was relatively new to the scene on his last tour of Australia in 2016, but filling the Hordern is a testament to his fantastic second album, Good Thing, along with some very plumb recommendations (Thanks Obama!) and sync spots on TV (Little Big Lies).  

As Bridges arrived, there was a lift in the crowd. The Texan shimmied onto the stage, looking dapper as always, diving straight into If It Feels Good (Then It Must Be). Second song Bad Bad News raised the tempo further, but despite plenty of screams from the crowd, dancing was restrained to a bit of foot shuffling from most.  

“Maybe you wanna hear some stuff from my first project,” declared Bridges, obviously sensing some stiffness in the audience. Better Man, like many tracks from his debut Coming Home, was played a lot more upbeat. It gave the whole set a more funked-up vibe when compared to the recorded versions. This did seem to warm the crowd up but the mood changed again as unreleased song Ana was performed. The slower stuff really showed the musicianship of his band and the sensitivities of his voice, although it really felt like his mic needed to be turned up all night. 

The seven-piece band, including two backing vocalists, and musicians that were all exemplary in their own right, held down the groove, changing direction in unison. The middle of the set became almost a freeform jam with multiple solos and soul-infused jazz breaks. 

Bridges brought it all back with an energetic version of Brown Skin Girl and Smooth Sailin’ - taking the opportunity to dance on the large stage, strutting and moving with squeals of delight from the crowd. 

The encore of River, performed with just vocalist Brittni Jessie by his side, was truly goosebump-inducing before we all threw our hands in the air for the raucous finale of Mississippi Kisses. 

The big room means that some of his music got a bit lost, but Leon Bridges is not slowing down, encouraging everyone to tell their girlfriends, boyfriends and work-mates about him for next time he comes to town, which is hopefully not too far away.