Delaney Davidson, Tami Neilson, Barry Saunders & Marlon Williams – Holy Trinity Cathedral (Concert Review)

Take salty sea dog Barry Saunders, pocket rocket Tami Neilson, wounded tom cat Delaney Davidson and mama’s sweetheart Marlon Williams, put them in a gothic cathedral chancel in front of a rose window, and pray. Over the next couple of hours you’ll meet the devil himself, hear the voices of angels and perhaps even bear witness to a miracle or two during the Church Tour 2015: Lost Highway.

Warratahs legend Barry Saunders opens the evening with his songs of people and places. Against a dramatic backdrop of turquoise green and peacock blue lights, he tells tales of harbours, towns and lost lovers. The songs range from moody and mysterious through to the rollicking “stumbling home song” Rescue Me.

Tami Neilson explodes onto the stage like a sexy glitter-ball with an outstanding rendition of her Silver Scroll winning song Walk (back into your arms), a shimmering gown and enough sass to fill Texas. As a guitar tech hands her a guitar she purrs, “You gotta like a man who hangs expensive things around your neck,” before continuing a spectacular set that is sometimes cute and kitsch, sometimes dark and dreamy, and sometimes sexy enough to warrant more than a few Hail Marys. She serves up a huge helping of swampy southern gospel withBury My Body and has the crowd holding their breath during tear-jerker The First Man. The wonderful acoustics showcase Tami’s extraordinary voice, and she appears to be in her element.

After an interval wild man Delaney Davidson slithers onto the stage and creates an eerie highway soundscape of looped guitar, spooky sound effects and tortured moans that slowly evolve into layers of harmony. His distorted vocal makes it sound as though he’s singing into the police radio of a cop whose body he left lying down the side of the road. He turns his guitar into an insistent heartbeat as he sings “I’ve been crazy all my life – I fell in love with another man’s wife,” and all the husbands in the audience hold their wives a little tighter. Tami returns to provide vocals on a rather jaunty version of At the Dark End of the Street, Davidson’s perky guitar soaking up the tension that should drip from the song. He redeems himself with his signature take on Please Don’t Let Me Love You, bringing the house down with his lovelorn yowls.

Marlon’s set opens with an unexpected and beautiful version of Oh Holy Nightwith Tami. Against the backdrop of a lighted stained glass window, they deliver an operatic interpretation of the song that is one of the highlights of the evening. Marlon has the voice of an angel, and he lets it loose on a variety of hoedown, honkey tonk and bluegrass tunes, including a version of If That’s The Way You Feel, where the other musicians come to the front of the stage to sing with him as if with one voice.

The dream team reunite for a toe-tapping version of Warratah’s classic Hands on My Heart, and then the show’s over. Or is it? The crowd stomps and hollers until the musicians return to the stage. Delaney and Marlon play a menacing version of Bill Monroe’s Get Down On Your Knees and Pray. Their voices are different but complementary, going together like coffee and cream, leather and lace, sinners and saints. We get two more songs and then we’re joining in the standing ovation before heading straight to the merchandise table, handing over some cash and taking some country spirit home.

Kathryn van Beek

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