Ghostpoet, Northcote Social Club, 20th October 2011

Gallery: Ghostpoet

2011 Mercury Prize nominee Ghostpoet hit the Northcote Social Club midweek, promoting his debut album Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam.

A Wednesday night crowd in Northcote is probably a change of pace from Glastonbury where the singer – born Obaro Ejimiwe – played in July.

Nevertheless, those crammed into the iconic band room were treated to a great mix of tunes from his current release. Lead single Cash & Carry Me Home sounded great in the live setting, and current release Liiines was well received, with the crowd charging forward to the front of the stage. Being more melodic than Cash & Carry, this was a highlight and showed why Peanut Blues has been so well received critically.

The tunes are undoubtedly about the lyrics, and at times these were lost in the mix. It’s not the concert hall, but the sound tonight was inconsistent (though it seemingly didn’t bug the wordsmith). The overwhelming theme tonight is that this was a guy who was just thrilled – if not a bit jetlagged – to be in Australia.

Across the board though it was solid, and you don’t get nominated for a Mercury if you’re run of the mill. This was a strong Melbourne debut to an appreciative audience.

Ghostpoet

Ghostpoet

Ghostpoet