Live Review: William Fitzsimmons

Those who chose not to battle the hustle and bustle of the Laneway Festival and instead made their way to the newly located Chevron Festival Gardens were treated to a sublime evening of William Fitzsimmons at his tantalising best.

His ample beard was mesmerising as the whisper of a vocal that usually adorns his records presented itself as strong and lucid in the live setting without sacrificing any of its warmth and tone.

As it is his first trip to Australia, Fitzsimmons declared that he would be delving into his past during his set. When talking about singing the old tunes, he playfully added 'don't worry if you like the new stuff, it all sounds the same. I've had zero per cent artistic growth during my career', before cleverly placing Everything Has Changed into fray.

The multi-instrumentalist stripped the songs bare as he deftly maneuvered his way around his nylon stringed guitar whilst sharing each new piece of heartbreak. Just Not Each Other was full of the ache of a relationship that is neither forgotten nor salvageable, whilst I Had To Carry Her tells of the raw emotion of his grandmother's passing. Outside of George RR Martin, no one does death and divorce better than Fitzsimmons.

Latest album, Pittsburgh, is influenced by his grandmother's passing and he is soon to release a companion piece, Charleroi, that immortalises his other maternal grandparent. A taster of that record was given in the form of the simple, yet haunting Nothing Can Be Changed. Suggesting that there is only one band that could possibly write as miserably as himself, Fitzsimmons won hearts with his interpretation of The Smiths Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want.

His background as a councilor serves Fitzsimmons well as the audience hang off every one of his enchanting words, even when he is breaking hearts or twisting the knife. He fielded the request of When You Were Young before playing his most lucrative tune Passion Play that was bare and frail without its accompanying beats. Goodmorning ended the set with the most optimistic moment of the evening, to show Fitzsimmons is a master of his craft of building a relationship with a crowd.

It is unlikely that during the remainder of the festival anyone will be able to make a venue as sizeable as Chevron Festival Gardens feel as intimate as it did on this evening. William Fitzsimmons is a rare talent with a voice as comforting as a warm hearth. 

Originally published in X-Press Magazine