The Tallest Man On Earth, OldMan River @ The Factory,20/10/11

Fri 21st Oct, 2011 in Gig Reviews

It’s not unfair to say that The Tallest Man On Earth, the deeply attractive vehicle for colourful Swede Kristian Matsson, can be seen as a rather divisive thing. Some see him as too much of an overt homage to singer-songwriters whose epoch is well and truly gone and irrelevant, while to his passionate fans – and there are plenty in Sydney judging from this sold-out show – he is a spectacular talent worthy of comparison with such contemporary songwriting greats as his countryman Jens Lekman.

Matsson is certainly closer to the latter, although he does appear to have based much of his career on Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright. That is certainly no criticism of the charismatic young man – he possesses ample wit, imagination and songwriting nous to keep things interesting. And this was a very fine evening indeed.

Old Man River (Ohad Rein), a globetrotting singer-songwriter ostensibly from Australia but with the internationalist accent of the modern man, was a good choice of support for this tour. His songs, while not nearly as good as Matsson’s, are cute enough without ever being truly cutting – but his firm delivery and amenable nature makes him eminently watchable, save some ill-advised call-and-response with the audience.

The impish and eccentric Matsson cuts a slight figure on during his headline set, tonight wearing a tight maroon singlet to deal with the balmy evening. He has become deeply accomplished as a performer (albeit on rented guitars tonight), lending his songs more urgency and finesse than on his records. Such staples as Won’t Be Found and King of Spain come out relatively early in the set, and are immaculately rendered, but it is on the imperious Where Do My Bluebird Fly (from 2008’s Shallow Grave album) that his powers are at their highest. Perhaps his best song, it came amid a slew of wonderful tracks in a nigh-on perfect first half-hour.

The only time he falls down with any seriousness is when he takes to a keyboard, an instrument his songs generally do not suit. The theatricality and troudabour-ish streak that is vital to Matsson’s appeal is vanquished, his delivery and the songs themselves becoming saccharine and unconvincing when performed in this way. But it’s hardly a reason to deny the fact that Matsson’s Tallest Man on Earth vehicle has reached a new level of fascination in the past year. His Australian tour of 2011 sees him in career-best form.