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Passenger
Palais Theatre, St. Kilda
In 2012, Indie folk singer Passenger broke the airwaves with his popular hit ‘ Let Her Go’, captivating Australian fans. It’s been ten years since the release of ‘ All the Lights’ the album that effectively changed his life, taking him from being a humble busker to an international star.
Josh Pyke opens the show with a fantastic performance, at times playing with the crowd with his cheeky banter. He plays a number of songs, including ” Memories and Dust” , ” Make You Happy” and “The Summer”. A seasoned performer in his own right, Pyke is at home on stage, and he is right at home in front of the St. Kilda crowd. His performance is over all too quickly and the crowd disperse to await Passenger.
Opening with title track ” All the Little Lights”, Passenger begins the journey through a selection of emotional songs. There are moments, like how when he describes how he met a man in his travels and began a conversation about how the man was dying of cancer, and was making his way on a motorbike to New York. ” Riding to New York” is a goosebumps tear- jerking song that is poignantly beautiful and melancholy.
Encouraging the audience to stand, because so far everyone has been exceptionally quite, he begins a sing a long to ” I Hate” and the audience joyfully sings the chorus – because we are warned- ” If you don’t you’re a racist, and nobody wants to be a racist”.
He treats us to an unreleased track ” Wild Love” a beautiful homage to being able to fall in love without hesitation, to dive right in and love without fear and to trust in loving without abandon. He dedicates the song to his girlfriend Rebecca who is in the audience and is described as his ” rock”. It’s a beautiful track and a delight to hear live.
Not only does Passenger have an exceptional voice, there is a humbleness about him that endears listeners to his performance. It’s almost like he both can’t believe he is on the stage, and he is incredibly thankful to be where he is all at the same time. This adds a level of vulnerability to the performance. His on stage banter is witty, sarcastic at times and adds something special to the performance. As the crowd leave they spontaneously burst into the chorus of ‘ I Hate’ and it is clear that Passenger has left a lasting impression on all that have had the good fortune to witness such a spectacular performance.
Words and images by Amanda Lee Starkey
