Powerful and personable: Marlon Williams impresses

A FULL house shouted a rapturous welcome to Marlon Williams on his Turangawaewae Tour at the Regent Theatre on Sunday night.

This is a high point of his career and long may it continue.

His beautiful tenor voice sometimes channels Bryan Ferry and at others Roy

Orbison.

Williams has a wonderful range, power and versatility; signature rock ballad music has highly memorable riffs and melodies; his stage presentation is personable and professional.

Williams’ versatile and collaborative band, Dave Khan on guitar, keyboards, violin and vocals, Ben Woolley on bass, double bass, synthesizer and vocals, Gus Agars on drums, and Dan Luscombe on guitar and keyboards, is deservedly fully credited.

The playlist was nicely balanced out between full blast rocking with full band and multitracks, and quieter solo bluesy numbers.

Highlights include the wonderful testament to turangawaewae Arahura, the inventive minor twists in Come to Me, the determination in

Party Boy, the rapacious malice in Vampire Again, the plaintive

Love’s a Terrible Thing , the raw jealousy of Can I Call You, and, of course, the wholehearted conviction of Make Way for Love.

The show opened with Emily Fairlight and band, notable for her clear alto wideranging voice and quavering vibrato delivery.

The violin, a recent addition to their lineup, showed melodic interest but deserved to be seen and heard as a collaborative part of the musicians’ lineup.

Don McGlashan and band, Chris O’Connor and Sean Donnelly, are longtime favourites of the audience. They presented a tried and true playlist to the audience’s delight.

It was an exhilarating evening replete with wonderful music.