Xavier Rudd

I’ve seen Xavier before. He’s a crowd favourite at any festival, and has even recently branched out to creating his own mini-festivals. But the four or five times I’ve seen him strut his stuff have all been outdoors. Shouldn’t matter right? Well it does.

For those who don’t know, Xavier Rudd is a solo artist who sits in the middle of stage, with an Aboriginal flag high behind him, and all manner of instruments surrounding him. The backbones to his music are provided by four didgeridoos and a stomp box. As well as this, his numerous guitars, drums and other percussion make it much more than just a busking act. And for those who really don’t know who he is, one of his better tracks is now the focus of the mycareer TV ads.

Strangely enough, it wasn’t until he played it mid set that the crowd started to move. Normally the performer of choice for all manner of 70s inspired hippie-love dancing from the first stomp, the crowd was rather subdued on Monday night. This is understandable considering I even spied a few suits in the throng.

The man himself seemed tired. The last show of a national tour, and there was a bit more feeling behind the lyrics “let me be, let me because, I wanna be free”. Although no wear and tear was heard in his voice, as strong and resonant as ever, the reverb was a tad higher than normal, trying to re-create the outdoor echo that sounds so beautiful. The outdoors was also simulated by the starlight lighting effect projected on the stage backdrop (and the roof – but that’s part of the building).

He tried hard to create the right atmosphere, bringing representatives from the Domain fire to speak, having Aborigines in ceremonial costume perform traditional dances from across the nation, even having three of the biggest tie-dye sheets I’ve ever seen framing the stage behind him. But the VIP area being in the middle of the room, the lack of the sweeter smoky haze hovering above the crowd, it just all added up to remind you that it wasn’t a normal Xav gig.

The two highlights for me were clear, and both came during his 40 minute encore. The first being a new track, written about a tale he’d been told in Arnhem Land. About a tribe forcing out mine developers in the late 70s and it being he start of the Land Rights movement. The preamble of the story was one of only a few pieces of audience interaction, and his lapsteel and vocal was spot on. The second, was the only “shivers-down-my-spine” moment I experienced. A cover of the Lennon classic, Let it Be. It was a song different in style to his normal, and brought out the best in his voice. Making him reach into his belly and sing to us the way he does through the didgeridoo, and allowing him to close his eyes and let rip at the higher, emotional climaxes. Magic.

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