Tony Joe White @ Fly By Night,Fremantle (20/05/11)

Mon 23rd May, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Fly By Night Club on Friday night was taken over by the blues. It was a show of two men, different in culture and country of origin but similar in the style and delivery of their music.

Frank Yamma expressed gratitude to Tony Joe White for inviting him on his tour. It really was the audience who should be expressing their gratitude to White for the pleasure of being introduced to Yamma. Yamma is a traditional Pitjantjatjara man from the central desert. He’s a straightforward character, what you see is what you get, but it is this honesty that adds to the intensity of his performance. He told stories of traditional life and stories inherent to his indigenous culture, such as She Cried and Make More Spear. They are sincere tales and Yamma’s voice spells out the heartache involved. His emotive delivery made the songs accessible to all with a heart. Yamma is a character more Australians should get to know.

Tony Joe White strolled on stage with a swagger of a man knowing his audience would be putty in his hands. The crowd of baby boomers whooped with glee at the arrivalof the “original swamp rocker”. White could sense the anticipation in the crowd for his unique sounds, so without speaking a word he gave a knowing smirk, put on his trademark sunglasses and sat down.

His voice was something to behold – as soon as he opened his mouth, 60 somethings swooned to the deeper than deep resonant whisper. Way Down South was the first song, and an appropriate way to transport the crowd to Louisiana, White’s hometown.

It was a night for Tony Joe White purists, just the basics of his trademark voice and guitar. White pulled out his hits such as Polk Salad Annie, Rainy Night in Georgia and Steamy Windows. There was little variety in the music or the delivery, and his in between songs banter was slightly hard to understand. Perhaps in comparison to Yamma’s emotive delivery and the closer connection we have to Yamma as Australians that meant White became less relevant. It seemed that it was more of a night of reminiscing for those baby boomers to relive their heydays, with many couples getting smoochy.

There’s no denying White’s unique vocal style, nor his reputation as the “original swamp rocker”, but rather than White making great efforts to wow any newcomers to his music, it was more of a show tailored to those fans already won over by White.