Kevin Morby 

Live reviews

• Kevin Morby

  Tuesday 8th November. Islington Assembly Hall. Kevin Morby. Me and my brother from another mother John tonight and its back to the mighty fine Islington Assembly Hall.

  I’ve been a fan or Mr Morby for a while but John hasn’t heard a note and not put off by the Guardians description as Indie sad he comes with. Morby, ex of the fine Woods has three solo albums to his name and half the set comes from the excellent new album ‘Singing Saw’.

  It’s a three piece backing band tonight who provide the almost hypnotic beats to Morby songs shifting effortlessly between light and shade and folk to rock. Special mention to Meg Duffy, the most understated and unassuming lead guitarist I have seen in a long time but who drives the sound along and overall they produce that driving kaleidoscopic groove reminiscent of War on Drugs.

  Morbys voice is strong and as John points out shows some depth especially on the solo Townes Van Zandt cover. Between song banter is kept to a minimum which is fine and the set moves quickly. The minimalist stage, no fancy lighting just showcase the simplicity of the songs and the interplay of the band. Highlights of the evening for me are ‘Miles, miles, miles’ and ‘Black Flowers’ but I could have picked many more.

  A great night and I think he will have won many converts tonight at his biggest ever solo show.

  Keep on rockin y’all.

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  by garyw66

• He started secure and focused with the some of his strongest tracks from his latest album City Music, but the more comfortable he felt on stage the more the sound loosened up and they started playing around more on stage. Even though he told us in the audience he was jet lagged they looked right at home on the stage here in Gothenburg, Sweden.

  The encore after the encore when he three times says "this is our last song" is a pure highlight for showing dedication to us seeing him live and you could see he was moved that he filled out the club.

  Greatest songs were Harlem River that really shines live, Beautiful Strangers that he played alone without backing band and also my favourite track Come To Me Now that started with the whole band standing around the keyboard trying to get the right sound, and him doing a spontaneous Q&A while trying to get fixed the sound.

  A great night from a humble man that has wit, clever songs and an absolutely amazing guitarist in Meg Duffy aka Hand Habits, she makes the most advanced moves look natural and easy, a huge surprise and definitely going to listen to her own album.

  All in all both me and my dad were thrilled and will definitely see him again if he comes around to our west coast town.

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  by emil-ackre

• Excellent show from Kevin Morby and his band last night at The Ace of Cups in Columbus. Highlight for me was Harlem River. Fine intimate acoustics were dialed in just right. Venue was humid and hot as catballs, though...grrr. Go see him. Just a superb alt/folk singer songwriter. I was one of 20 who showed up at his last show at Little Palace here in German Village/Columbus in 2015. He’s changed and matured, not afraid now to rock out at times, and his solo electric guitar brings back memories of Billy Bragg and even Mark Mulcahy. I’m definitely a fan now and exploring his back catalog. And holy crap, that Gillian Welch cover of ..Miss Ohio was hauntingly good!

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  by dontshakethebaby

• Kevin is a really great song writer and performer. His band is pretty great too, especially Meg Duffy, who I believe to be just as good of a guitar player as David Gilmour, Eric Clapton, or Stevie Ray Vaughan. When Kevin sings, you can really feel that he feels deeply about his lyrics. He is an open book and his heart is on his sleeve. There was a part during Destroyer where everyone got silent and all that was playing for a few seconds was Meg's guitar loop. It was such a beautiful moment, and as good as live music gets. I would definitely go see him again when he rolls through.

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  by HarryHaller11

• Amazing live performance, raw and sincere with perfect musicianship from all band members. The electric ballroom was sold out! Great modern American folk vibes, and since it was Halloween they came back for an encore as The Velvet Underground and covered Pale Blue Eyes. Loved every second of the gig!!

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  by crispyastrologer

• No doubt Kevin is a great and sensitive artist,but it should be of very much interest to know before if he is going to play with his band or just alone. I find quite often these solo concerts,which are not bad at all, but at least we should be able to know it before we decide to buy the ticket

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  by galandeta

• Great Show!!!! I loved the venue. Kevin played a handfull of songs of his very new City Music album and some great old songs: Harlem River (one of my favorites) Dorothy, Cut me down and I Have been to the mountain. Hope see this guy soon again.

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  by rumano

• Such an amazing show! Loved the full band and mixture of old and new tunes from one of my favourite artists.Sound, venue, music was perfect and Kevin never disappoints with amazing vocals. Can't wait for him to come back!

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  by sblamauer

• Saw him play a solo show at a smaller venue in Portland, ME, and it was pretty magical. Intimate and energized and thoroughly engaging. I'll be keeping an eye out for future dates - definitely on my must—see list!

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  by cdglpr

• Endlessly talented songwriter, as is opening act Sam Cohen. Music draws on classic American Folk among others. Morby put on a great show - deserved a better audience that night. Shame about that. Great talent.

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  by ryan-waterbury