Last night I had the joy of going to The Vanguard in Newtown to see Paul Capsis perform his latest cabaret show. Paul is an amazing performer, and is best known for his unique gift for capturing the vocal stylings and mannerisms of various singers. Less of an impersonation and more 'channeling' as he puts it. His huge vocal range allows him to pay homage to greats that includes Janis Joplin, Judy Garland, Edith Piaf and more. Not only female performers, but it's the disconnect between hearing the sound of Janis Joplin or Edith Piaf spring forth from the body of a slightly build Maltese man that makes his act so startling.
Last night's show was less about his usual channeling and more about Paul up there as himself, trying out some new original material and covering a huge range from gospel to a Kate Bush cover. It was a very entertaining and moving performance, and everything about the show from the wonderfully tight band to Paul's in between song banter and humour added to the performance. Paul was called back for two encores, and the crowd went crazy when he finally announced "I feel someone coming through.... is that you... Janis?" and kicked into a rousing Janis Joplin number.
The Vanguard is a perfect intimate venue for this sort of show, and Mikey (the lovely ex), Steve, Bec and two friends of Steve's and myself had a lovely 3 course meal and a few bottles of wine. Good times y'all.
3 comments:
Paul Capsis is on my list of people to see perform one day. I'm glad he did not disappoint.
Tyson, he certainly didn't disappoint! FYI, they have added another show at The Vanguard on March 4th if you're interested.
Paul Capsis is great. Seem him perform live a couple of times and he never fails to deliver a great show. The only odd thing is that I think he lives closeby, as I often see him at the supermarket. "Hi Paul", I almost say out loud with an overfamiliarity, until remembering I don't actually know him.
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