A nonchalant night was peering through the Bush Hall floorboards, all set for an act from the idiosyncratic songwriter Kristian Matsson, otherwise known as Tallest Man on Earth.

The garrulous punters had plenty of weekend nonsense to yak about until out of the blue TMoE materialized with his steely eyes and a stare that would make you wonder if you cleaned your room to your mothers liking.

Kristian broke into The Wild Hunt, his latest albums title track, with his signature squeaky yet endearing voice illustrating his lyrical cohesiveness and captivating us all enough for us to respond in a wild rapturous applause.

We took some deep breaths and dusted off our hats after the smooth opener. You’re Going Back followed with furthermore addictive strumming and stamping to effect a little more bass. The show continued with softy spoken intro’s and relentless tuning between tracks, including the melancholy favourite I won’t be found.

King of Spain was the long straw of the pack. The passion intensified ten fold with the tall man’s live version, making you to dance the cha cha cha with castanets on your ear lobes.

He is often portrayed in the same light as Dylan and Waits, and though I am a mammoth fanatic of both I see no resemblance whatsoever. It’s a slap in the face for each of the dirty three. Dylan is a lyrical maestro and so is Waits, while Kristan has a voice to die for, can pluck a guitar like a chicken and lyrically he’s not too far behind. Each to their own I say.

You don’t know me from a bar of soap, though I will pontificate that life’s too short to listen to mediocre music. This man has his a heart of strings to offer; jump on the ship.

Posted In Live Reviews, Mar 22 2010. Words - Chez De Bartolo