Live Review: Jack Garratt @ Metro Theatre & Media Showcase

Secret Media Showcase – by Jessica Noakesmith

People enjoy listening to this man, and I can assure you this is for good reason. What other solo artist can stand up in front of a tiny crowd, jetlagged to his eyeballs, play five songs, and have them leave enchanted. Not sure if you’ve noticed but Jack Garratt graced Australia with his presence last week, playing a raw smooth cover of Queen B’s Crazy In Love for triple j, paying his dues to the Metro Theatre, and delighting us at Splendour in the Grass.

To start off his Aussie takeover, Jack Garratt played to an intimate lucky few at the Roslyn Packer Theatre to showcase five songs off his highly acclaimed debut album ‘Phase’, released early this year. Opening with the bright and bubbly track Breathe Life, the bearded wonder broke through his initial nerves and showed off his multitasking skills. Keys, drums, launch pad, vocals, you name it! This one-man show is a force to be reckoned with. What was particularly amusing was that his energy was so crazy, it seemed he couldn’t even handle it…it was like witnessing magic.

Weathered is a sweet simple composition in comparison. It feels like a journey through time, innocence to growing older, “When I grow old I’ll drink and smoke”. Even though there were only a few of us, we felt the buzz as the track layered and built. Garratt then brought the tone right down with the dynamic song The Love You’re Given.

The eerie layer is unsettling in a good way and draws you in ready for the sweet bass to kick in and have you swaying left and right. Did I mention his voice yet? No? Garratt has a phenomenal vocal range and timbre, and the timing and investment in every facet of his performance is intoxicating.

The next song I was introduced to by a friend, who showed me Surprise Yourself’s feel good music video about people facing fears, all shot on a Go Pro. The song is like a warm pot of honey. It’s definitely high levels of feel good, but not too cheesy. Jack Garratt even jazzed it up with a sweet solo!

After expressing his thanks and admitting he was incredibly nervous and jetlagged he closed a short ‘n’ sweet show with Worry. His facial expressions that had been building throughout the show came to a climax as he scrunched up his visage to the raw and emotional finish.

If this what he can do with one album, I’m excited to see what happens next. As his Facebook page truthfully tells you in the about section, “I’m Jack Garratt. I do the musics”.

Jack Garratt @ Metro Theatre – by Eliot Hastie

Jack Garratt showed to Sydney’s Metro Theatre last Thursday night that he is a ‘Jack’ of all trades and may just be a master of more than a few. His high-energy, high-octane performance ricocheted across the walls of the small venue. Despite the show suffering from equipment malfunction, it would have been hard to walk away from the show not being impressed by his raw talent.

The evening started with American artist Kacy Hill, who broke out onto the scene with her viral Spotify hit Foreign Fields. Kacy has a powerful vocal presence which adds depth to her minimal lyrics. With Garratt’s approval and as his choice of support act, she is a talented singer and one to watch! Read our interview with Kacy Hill HERE

Garratt burst onto the stage with Breathe Life, instantly amping up the audience and even the song itself. It’s a rare feat to hear an artist improve the recorded version when performing live, but it’s something Garratt bought into every song he performed. Whether it was extended drum solos at the end of his hits or longer guitar riffs, he always added something.

This was perhaps best demonstrated in his breakout hit Weathered, where he tried to start the first quiet, almost acapella verse multiple times only to be thrown off-course by crowd members singing along. He seemed to be enjoying the heckling though and engaged in banter with many of the audience. Clearly an audience favourite, their joining in lent it a rambling messiness, which he conducted by calling out the lyrics before each line, until a girl called out “we know the words” and he decided to just let us, sing.

The stage set-up was just Jack and his equipment. In that regard he was very much like his fellow red-haired British counterpart Ed Sheeran who performs stadiums with nothing more than a guitar and loop pedals. However, what set Garratt apart is he can easily transition between keyboards, drums, guitar, and his sampling pad.

It was this pad that caused multiple issues on the night. By the end of his fourth song Far Cry the technical issues were big enough to require some replacements, which was never explained to us, but Garratt managed to entertain the audience by playing fun piano show tunes whilst his techs hurried to fix it.

His improv piano playing and then later busting out the Fresh Prince theme and Justin Timberlake’s Senorita showed he could have played anything and the audience would have cheered. Every drum he banged, every high note he sung, every dance move he busted was met by an audience “whoop” or applause.

He came back to an elongated, impassioned guitar solo before Surprise Yourself. With only one more song to play, Garratt made sure he thanked his support act and his tech team, who had got their workout fixing the kit throughout the show. He apologised for the technical issues and admitted to the audience that he’s trying every day to be the best he can be.

His heartfelt speech was a humbling experience from a man who had entertained the audience all night. He ended on a high with Don’t Worry before leaving the stage to head up to Splendour to perform on the Mix Up Stage.

Read our recent interview with Jack Garratt HERE, and check out full Photo Gallery HERE and our Splendour In The Grass DAY ONE Gallery HERE