written by Chris Familton

As M. Ward admitted tonight it had been a while since his last visit and he was touring to promote his album Post War that came out two years ago. That didn’t make for much of a deterrence to the fans who packed out a reduced ‘intimate’ Enmore Theatre for a solo performance.

Holly Throsby played a set that showcased some of the tracks from her new album Team that was released just a couple of days ago. With backing band The Hello Tigers she gently eased the audience into the mood of the evening with some hushed and delicately structured songs that show she is fast becoming a unique songwriter who isn’t afraid to experiment with textures, rhythms and a range of instruments like banjo and accordion to colour her songs.

On his first visit to Sydney M. Ward played the Newtown RSL with a baseball cap drawn low over his eyes. little contact with the audience and the air of an artist who hadn’t quite come to terms with the scope of their ability. Now, with a few more albums, the ongoing She & Him and Monsters of Folk projects and numerous shows played he strode onto the Enmore stage a much more assured musician.

Serenading us with an instrumental acoustic piece he then opened his mouth and from the first notes that rang out crystal clear, loud and rich through the theatre it was clear we were in for a special evening. The quality of sound was exceptional, allowing us to hear the creak and rattle of the guitar strings and all of that distinctive burr and character that makes Ward’s voice so unique.

Song-wise his selection was pretty impeccable too – from favourites like Fuel For Fire, Sad, Sad Song, Poison Cup and Undertaker to covers of Don Gibson’s Oh, Lonesome Me, Daniel Johnston’s The Story Of An Artist and his gorgeous rendition of Bowie’s Let’s Dance – there wasn’t a dud or misstep over the 90 minutes he graced the stage with his guitars and piano.

Ward is at his best playing slow, sad love songs and they were in abundance tonight. His voice was impeccable and at many points quite moving. The ability to sustain such brilliance alone on a stage is a powerful thing and shows how truly great an artist M. Ward has become.

this review first appeared in Drum Media