Vance Joy

Vance Joy
The Tivoli

It was a warm night when hipsters and house wives alike gathered at The Tivoli to see the sold out concert for Vance Joy. Even the guy busking outside for money to buy a ticket to see the show couldn't contain his excitement to be able to witness Vance's first solo tour. Since touring with Brisbane's own favourite son Bernard Fanning recently Joy's star has begun to rise and his following has swollen to much larger proportions. The run away commercial success of single Rip Tide adding to the hype.

Opening with "From Afar" a soft sweet piece to slowly introduce the fans to the evening. It's the debut single from EP God Loves You When You're Dancing and is a low key way to open the show.

He proves that he is skilled with the guitar, however as a showman he is very quiet and subdued. He rarely speaks and when he does with his tendency to mumble is difficult to hear him. It comes across as a shy man that could be just a little over whelmed by all the hype that surrounds him.

Sticking mostly to songs from the album at times the set list is track for track and at this leads to a little predictability for those familiar with the album. "Winds of Change" "Mess is Mine" and " Wasted Time" all playing within succession of each other. Not surprisingly he steers clear of playing "Rip Tide" too soon, instead launching into a very sweet version of Bruce Springsteen's " Dancing in the Dark". He takes the classic well known song, slows it down and makes it his own. His voice tends to wobble a little during the night and he has an overly noticeable wide vibrato. At moments this is distracting, however the sweetness of the lyrics overcomes the lack of control in his vocal ability.

The highlights for the evening is undoubtedly "Georgia" and "Emmylou", both such mesmerising songs with bitter sweet themes that lend to a certain sadness and longing. The crowd sings along to Georgia; a saccharine moment as every person sways in unison.

Switching to the ukulele for the moment everyone has been waiting for Joy launches into "Rip Tide" to round out the evening. The song is uplifting and during the chorus it soars. The pleasure that one brilliantly written catchy, quirky song can bring is awe- inspiring. It's a perfect high to end the evening and smart choice for the last song. A short encore of "Play with Fire" and Fleetwood Mac's " The Chain" closes the show. Vance Joy has proven with this evenings set that he is a capable performer, very good guitarist and amazing song writer. Leaving the venue it is clear to see there are smiles all around and he has lived up to his namesake by spreading quite a bit of joy around.

Absolutely incredible! Vance is an amazing performer and a super nice, genuine guy. His show consists of amazing music and authentic stories which make you feel as though you know him personally. The show was so great that I attended two of his shows, the first at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT and the second at the Blue Hills Bank Pavillion in Boston, MA. His warm, positive personality lights up the show and is reflected by the excitement and energy of the crowd. The energy of the crowd and the warmth of Vance’s personality can be felt from the first row to the very last. As I looked around I did not see a single person that wasn’t up and dancing or singing along having a great time. If you are concerned about whether or not he sounds good live, let me tell you; he sounds better live than he does recorded and his voice is already stunningly beautiful and relaxing recorded. Trust me. Everything about Vance’s concert is beautiful: the set, the energy, Vance himself, and, above all else, the music. In addition, his merchandise is really nice and has a wide variety. He sells a canvas tote bag which has a nice design on it for $5 and donates all proceeds from the bag to help with green sea turtle conservation. It’s always great to see artists working to bring about positive change in the world. Overall, the concert is amazing and unforgettable. Everyone has a great time and you get to learn a bit about Vance himself as well as the meanings behind each of his songs all while enjoying his incredible, soothing voice. This concert was the first that I ever even considered of going to twice and is definitely my favorite concert I have ever attended. 13/10, yes, thirteen out of ten, it was that good. Highly recommend. A must see.

Australian artist Vance Joy, real name James Keogh, is possibly one of the best new artists to have emerged on the indie scene recently. His smash hit ‘Riptide’ has been a worldwide success, impressively voted no. 1 on the ‘2013 Triple J Hottest 100’: haunting vocals, check. Insane catchy tune, check. Creepy yet thought-provoking music video, check. Despite having only released one album so far, I am anticipating big things from this guy. For those snapback wearing, vans treading hipster types, Vance Joy’s music is an untarnished goldmine. The love child of artists such as Matt Corby and Sons of the East, Joy’s incredible singing-song writing skills possess the ability to reach out to and capture the imagination of the youth of today. I was lucky enough to see Vance Joy live and have never been so impressed before by the sincerity of someone’s voice. Truly talented, Joy accompanied his gorgeous vocals with the ukulele on stage, strumming the instrument amid a throng of admiring girls. Advantageously easy on the eyes, there was not a single person in the crowd that was not one hundred percent focused on Joy during his set. The Australian accent certainly didn’t hinder our attention either. ‘From Afar’, ‘Mess is Mine’ and ‘Play with Fire’ were all played to perfection and the closing song ‘Riptide’ ended the set brilliantly, leaving the crowd screaming for more.

Australian singer/songwriter Vance Joy had a whirlwind 2014 following the unexpected commerciality of his single 'Riptide'. The unassuming folk/pop gem went top 10 in his homeland, the UK and charted at #30 in the US. It was subsequently voted number one on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2013 and suddenly this undiscovered artist's name was on everybody's lips.

Away from this mega hit, Vance himself (real name James Keogh) is a humble and sincere performer who has real skill with his acoustic guitar which when paired with his pained vocal makes for an enjoyable tone. Coyly stepping on to stage in the intimate Manchester academy with support from three other musicians, Vance sets to work showcasing a selection from his debut 'Dream Your Life Away'.

These include wonderful renditions of the anthemic 'Winds of Change' and the tender 'Best That I Can'. An early EP track 'Emmylou' gets a cheer from his earlier fans who were clearly glad to hear this addition to the setlist. 'Riptide' of course receives the largest singalong of the evening and the crowd applaud rapturously following. What Joy manages to achieve is proof he is better than a one-hit wonder and has integrity and potential to make his music go far.

Amazing night! Too start off, the opening acts (Mondo Cosmo and Scott Helman) were so good and really got us exited. when Vance Joy came on I couldn't believe he was real but throughout the show he looked me in the eyes and smiled at me multiple times and I felt so connected to him personnaly. A lot of the people around me (and I was near the front) were not dancing and seemed irritated that I was singing loudly and dancing. Another thing is that I was surprised that there was no encore, but I'm sure that if the rest of the crowd had wanted it more, there would've been one. About half way through, right before the song Little Boy, he told us the story of this song ending in a one-size-too-big, glow-in-the-dark tooth. Overall, an incredible show and one of the best concerts I've been to. So greatful to all of the acts.

I never intended to go to the Vance Joy concert but when some friends couldn't go the tickets were received by myself.
i fell in love, it was amazing! Jamie Lawson and Elle King opened beautifully and the crowd was so loving. When Vance Joy came out it was crazy everyone was screaming and when he started playing everyone sang along it was an amazing experience and I'm so glad that i had the chance to go!!!
the one downside was that many people were very drunk and/or high which made the latter hours of the night lose some magic but even that can not damper the amazing voices and attitudes of the singers, and the enthusiasm and excitement of the loving crowd.

Got home from the concert and still buzzing from the wonderful evening.
Vance is amazing - very interactive with his audience.
My absolute favourite thing that kept me smiling all night is the way Vance is 'marching' on the spot with his music.
What a guy.
I took my teenage son and his girlfriend this evening and the three of us had a great night.
What an amazing venue, so intimate and a great set up.
As I have written before: "We're going home" is my favourite song, because it reminds me of home in The Netherlands. I am the only one that migrated to Australia. Sometimes the song makes me happy and sometimes it makes me sad, sometimes I feel homesick.

It was my first Vance Joy gig, not my first time seeing an artist play in the venue though.

The support act was well-chosen and energetic, the main set nice, however it was only 1 1/4 hours - a fact that I heard other people talk about afterwards, too, but who knows if he was just sick or tired or something.
Oh, and (I don't want to dictate how a musician should perform, but) I would have loved a little more engaging with the crowd. But I guess that's a total matter of taste, I just prefer more talking and banter in-between songs.
All in all neither the best concert I've ever been to, nor in any way a bad one.

Vance Joy was Entirely Amazing!! There is not anything I would change about this concert! First off, Alice Merton was FANTASTIC! I had not listened to her music much prior to the show, but now I’m Definitely a Fan! I would undoubtedly go to a concert that she headlined herself!
THEN! Vance Joy came on and the lights, sound quality, and overall performance were Astounding! He sounds Greatest live and provided an unforgettable experience! The band were also Awesome and clearly all very talented! ForSure a concert that will forever be one of my Favorite memories! Highly recommend seeing him live!

Amazing, fantastic! The support acts were brilliant too and they were a perfect match for this style of music. Vance Joy was so generous with his time! He sang for 1 1/2 hours, every set was brilliant. We were right down the front and it felt like he was singing and talking to us. Vance Joy spoke during each song, gave background to them and he was so normal. It was just amazing He also had a great backing band and he spent time introducing each person. It was the best concert I have ever been to and that includes Ed Sheehan (though that was also amazing).