Live Review: Olly Murs – 10th November 2013 – Metro Theatre, Sydney, Australia
4 min read
During my ten years living within the busy music capital of London, England, there was one performer in my final years that you just could not escape and his name was Olly Murs.
Since roping in a legion of fans following his appearance on the X Factor back in 2009, Olly has reached an almost superstar status over the course of the last 4 years and 3 hugely successful albums including his latest, 2012’s Right Place Right Time, the record that the pop hit-maker is now busy touring.
Currently delivering the hits to fans down under, we were invited along to Murs’ performance last night at Sydney’s intimate Metro Theatre where the singer offered hits spanning his 4 years at the top, principally those from his latest studio record and it was one hell of show!
Olly began his hit heavy set at around 8pm last night following a brief support slot from fresh-faced local singer-songwriter, Bonnie Anderson who some may remember from winning Australia’s Got Talent a good few years back.
Diving straight into what would be a truly phenomenal set list of songs covering the Brit pop stars few successful years in the international spotlight, Olly opened the show with Army of Two, one of the best tracks from his latest studio album. With its pulsating rhythm, Olly bounced smoothly around the stage as his 6-piece band including 2 slick backing singers cracked open a storming intro to what would be a powerful plethora of career highlights.
Further new pennnings including Hey Beautiful, Dance With Me Tonight and the records title track were performed effortlessly by the hat-donning crooner, the latter offering one of the peak moments of the night and probably the biggest crowd pleaser.
Throughout the set Olly took time to talk to the crowd, telling stories of chasing ladies who were, as he repeatedly confessed, not as attractive as the ladies in the crowd or throughout Australia, getting the singer more than a few screams in return from some female attendees hoping to get a glimpse from the performer.
Among the big-band infused dance numbers, Olly showed he was no one trick pony, throwing in a handful of sentimental ballads including the Coldplay-esque Loud & Clear with its chanting “oohhs” providing ample opportunity for the crowd to get involved, singing along with their idol. Current single (and personal favourite Murs hit), Hand on Heart was delivered with eloquence and sincerity while Murs’ album favourite, Dear Darlin’ provided the set with a swaying injection of romanticism with its gorgeous instrumentation and love letter inspired lyrics.
Despite flying from Sydney to Melbourne yesterday afternoon for a recorded performance on Dancing with the Stars prior to the show, he was on top form, bouncing around the stage energetically and busting more than a few extrovert moves as well as grabbing his crotch on more than one occasion.
Nearing the end of the set we were offered a spectacular performance of his 2011 Rizzle Kicks collaboration and number one hit, Heart Skips a Beat before the he capped the night off in epic monster hit style with Troublemaker, encouraging the crowd to sing along, and that they did!
If there was one thing that we learned from Olly’s performance last night in Sydney it is that this is a guy who was born for the glitz and glamour of show-business. He is a showman by the very definition of the word, radiating confidence and charisma with every wink and hip shake. Whether it is unleashing one of his dance inspired megahits and bringing the house down with his evidently powerhouse vocals, making the ladies swoon over him as he shows his sentimental side during the many memorable ballads in his repertoire or getting the girls in a frenzy with his saucy gyrating, Murs truly delivered last night at the Metro.
I was excited about finally catching Olly live last night as I had missed the opportunity on numerous occasions while I was in the UK but I didn’t quite expect to be as blown away as I was with the singers impeccable showmanship and vocal talents over the course of the 90 mins that the star pranced, skipped, gyrated and swayed around the small Metro Theatre stage. Olly is a performer I would definitely see again if given the chance and would encourage anyone else who gets the opportunity to do the exact same thing. You won’t be disappointed!
Set List:
Army of Two
Dance With Me Tonight
Personal
I’ve Tried Everything
Hand on Heart
Hey You Beautiful
I’m OK
Oh My Goodness
Loud and Clear
One of these days
Superstition (Stevie Wonder cover)
Please Don’t Let Me Go
Dear Darlin’
Right Place Right Time
Heart Skips a Beat
Encore:
Troublemaker
::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
Brendon manages and coordinates the amazing team of writers on RenownedForSound.com who are based in the UK, the U.S and Australia.
