The first concert album from the award-winning New Zealander,
Live at Auckland Town Hall is the non-studio follow-up to
Marlon Williams' acclaimed (and heavy-hearted) sophomore LP,
Make Way for Love, which was penned in the wake of a breakup with fellow Kiwi crooner
Aldous Harding. Recorded during his 2018 tour in support of the album, a year that also saw him make his film debut with a brief role and performance in
Bradley Cooper's remake of A Star Is Born, the 21-song set was recorded during a sold-out show at the historic hall. With his backing group
the Yarra Benders providing both nuance and firepower,
Williams commences with the lovelorn "Come to Me," the first cut off of
Make Way for Love. While much of the performance is spent parsing through highlights from that album and his 2016 debut,
Williams and company find some time to indulge in a few choice covers, including soulful takes on
Yoko Ono's "Nobody Sees Me Like You Do" and
Lhasa de Sela's "Is Anything Wrong," among others. However, it's his originals that pack the most punch, with highlights arriving via the austere,
Jeff Buckley-esque "When I Was a Young Girl" and the cosmically sad duet "Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore," the latter of which sees bassist
Ben Woolley admirably take on
Aldous Harding's role. A precocious balladeer,
Williams is an old soul. Outside of the rollicking "Party Boy," there's nothing particularly kinetic about the show, but he achieves a level of gravitas throughout that evokes
the Everly Brothers by way of
Scott Walker, which is pretty impressive for a twentysomething. ~ James Christopher Monger
