Daniel Champagne, Pete Akhurst@ The Front, Canberra (2/7/11)

Sun 3rd Jul, 2011 in Gig Reviews

The superb talent of Daniel Champagne can’t be explained by mere words; it must be seen to be believed. If you really want to get close to experiencing his awe-inspiring live performances and his skill with the guitar, do a quick YouTube search.
 Of course nothing beats seeing the 21-year-old musician in the flesh, and on Saturday night The Front’s audience was witness to one of Australian music’s most promising young talents.

Champagne has been described as one of Australia’s best young guitarists and has played many festival stages including the Byron Bay Blues Fest, the National Folk Festival and the Australian Blues Music Festival. Despite these big stages, his performance didn’t lose any of its brilliance playing to the 30-odd squished in The Front at Lyneham. 
Such was the relaxed feeling of the intimate venue, Champagne simply wandered up to the mic at around eight o’clock and began casually strumming whilst tuning his guitar. After the room fell silent he launched into his maniacally quick and unique guitar style, strumming, tapping, flicking and wrapping his fingers around nearly every square inch of the guitar; his hands moved so fast at times they were a blur, moving twice as fast as the notes. If every jaw hadn’t dropped quite yet, Champagne proceeded into his set of beautifully delivered folk, blues and pop songs about the road, lost love and family. 


After the already amazing intro, Champagne’s set consisted of songs filled with superbly brilliant lyrics; his genius with rhyme and the written verse nearly topping his guitar tricks. 
On Nightingale he sang “When I told you I was afraid to fall, really, I was afraid to fly,” but it was during this performance he really soared. 
He sings with a voice that’s distinctly Australian yet incredibly versatile; he soared at times, howling at the audience, eyes shut and full of passion, all while standing away from the mic; elsewhere he almost whispered his beautiful lyrics, leaning into the microphone and clutching his prized instrument (a new guitar already patched up with gaffer tape; not surprising when witnessing the brutality he puts it through). Champagne’s voice has a warmth to it, it’s familiar and inviting, and in the small, warmly lit room, it was easy to get completely lost in his songs, I can imagine it would be just as easy in a full blown festival crowd.


Halfway through the night, local and close friend of Champagne’s, Pete Akhurst changed the pace with his more traditional guitar stylings and his minimalist, yet charming lyrics. Just like his talented mate, Akhurst showed clear finesse with a fun and physical performance. One of Akhurst’s opening tunes and possibly his best, was Miss You More, a self-described ‘accidental song’ inspired by a text message he once received. He mournfully drew out “I miss you more than I should, more than I could, more than I thought.” 
Akhurst swung around the stage, giving just as much energy and personality into his performance as his predecessor; he even stopped mid-song, posing for a photo and on occasion would pause and forget his own lyrics (proceeded with a wry grin and quick continuation of the song).


During the night, both Champagne and Akhurst gave a nod to their musical idols. Champagne played covers of Vincent by Don McLean and Don’t Forget to Miss Me by Harry Manx. Akhurst paid homage to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young with his rendition of Helpless, which he surprisingly knocked out on a banjo; even getting the whole room singing along to the chorus.
 Champagne came back on with a slightly more bluesy set and continued to wow the intimate crowd with more of his signature, self described ‘crazy guitar stuff’.

The two performances of the night played off each other brilliantly and were both accommodated appropriately at The Front. The pair lit up an otherwise quiet night in Lyneham and gave the small crowd an evening to remember, however it was Daniel Champagne who was truly unforgettable. He gave his all, showcasing his undeniable talent and truly unique guitar style, which promises a bright future in the Australian music scene.