Live Review: Whitley

It's strange to see Lawrence Greenwood back on a stage. Three years ago, he was playing what were claimed to be his last shows under the Whitley moniker, having announced his retirement from the act. Despite the critical success of his 2009 sophomore album Go Forth, Find Mammoth, Greenwood appeared weary of living and playing music in Australia. A performance in Perth was positively rank with tired bitterness.

There's none of that onstage at The Hi-Fi tonight. Greenwood has brought the Whitley name out of retirement and actually appears happy to have done so. As well as beloved older tracks, his set is peppered with new material from his latest release Even The Stars Are A Mess. The crowd are, quite simply, thrilled to have him back. They sing along gently to tracks such as Roadside and Bright White Lights, saving their cheers for the appropriate intervals between songs.

Greenwood never seemed to find stage banter particularly easy in his pre-'retirement' career, and it's a skill that still eludes him. He chatters with his band members without speaking into the microphone, leaving the audience with little to do during these extended conversations apart from twiddle their thumbs. Of course, Greenwood is under no obligation to perform stand-up between his tracks, but some of the gaps between songs simply become too long. Still, when he sings Greenwood has a talent for ethereal, heartstring-tugging indie folk, and his musical performances are lovely. Recent release My Heart Is Not A Machine is a clear standout, as is the impossibly gorgeous More Than Life.

Although Greenwood isn't yet an entirely captivating performer onstage, it is nice to see him happy again. “You're a great crowd,” he tells the audience, his gratitude showing in his voice, “I really appreciate it.” As a treat, he gives the punters a rather unexpected encore – an indie-folk rendition of ABBA's Dancing Queen. “It just feels good to sing,” he says, a little sheepishly. Fair enough. He's a lot more fun when he feels good.