Photo: WENN
Vance Joy, AKA James Keogh, is doing pretty well for himself. He’s had massive success with 'Riptide', just released his debut album Dream Your Life Away, and tonight he’s playing a sold out London show - at none other than Shepherds Bush Empire.
He’s also immensely likable. Chilled and smiley, there’s no faffing around as he dives straight in with 'Mess Is Mine'. He exudes warmth and with a winning combination of mood lighting, bouncy rhythms, and Melbourne twang, you may as well be basking in an Aussie sunset. Plus he’s got a ukulele – a real crowd pleaser.
Some songs seem slightly samey which makes everything lag a little at times, but he does his best to keep things fresh. A bunch of light bulbs hang above his head then suddenly they light up! What is this? Inspiration? Spiritual enlightenment? Either way, he has our undivided attention.
The band vanishes and he tells us that he’s going to play a particularly well-known song. Must be 'Riptide', right? Wrong. Using this opportunity to throw in an unexpected but excellent cover of Springsteen’s 'Dancing in the Dark', which was pretty electrifying.
Then, we finally do get to 'Riptide'. Its success in the charts, as well as its presence in the GoPro advert, meant that there was no escaping it this summer. This is the song people are here to see, and thank God he delivers the goods. Nobody is still, nobody is silent and he creates a really lovely feel-good atmosphere to wrap everything up in.
Vance Joy may have made his name through 'Riptide', but he’s done enough to convince all here tonight that he won’t just be a one hit wonder. We can't wait to see what wonder comes next.
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