Live Review: Train, Taylor Henderson

Taylor Henderson was a contestant on Australia’s Got Talent. He has a crooked smile and a pretty voice. He’s also listened to far too much John Mayer and almost certainly hasn’t had his heart broken by the right/wrong girl yet. It’ll be interesting to see what his songwriting is like in five years time but for right now it’s all surface and, for all the lamenting of love gone wrong, there’s no grit to it.

Train on the other hand have been around the block a few times and it may be necessary, next time, for them to allow for a couple of rest days in the touring schedule. Lead singer, Patrick Monahan, hit the stage looking a little pale and wane and subsequently complained about the 21-hour flight they’d endured to make it to our sunny shores. Their fatigue, however, didn’t seem to affect their ability to play a tight, punchy set that highlighted the hits while throwing in some newer offerings to an appreciative crowd.

Monahan took selfies with the crowd, literally walked through the audience on the backs of chairs, and was a well-rehearsed master of ceremonies. And it was all fake. The underwhelming feeling of a competent band going through the motions was hard to shake, even when voices were raised for Save Me, San Francisco, Drops Of Jupiter and Calling All Angels.

The songs are fine. There’s nothing wrong with Just A Memory or Angel In Blue Jeans, from their latest album, Bulletproof Picasso. Even an unexpected cover of Rihanna’s Umbrella didn’t seem as out of place as you might expect, but only because this is a group of talented, hard-working musicians who know what they’re doing. But they’ve lost the love. Time to regroup, boys. You’ve lost your joy, which was 50% of your charm in the first place.