It's been quite the year for Brisbane artist Emerson Snowe (Jarrod Mahon) who played SXSW earlier this year and recently spent time in Europe and the UK on tour. 2019 also saw him unleash his impressive debut EP That's Rock 'n' Roll via Liberation Records, which spans seven tracks of reflective lyricism and stirring moments. His show at The Tote was his first headline show in Melbourne and was a celebration of the EP. Those in attendance were also treated to a sneak peek of unreleased material.
At the beginning of his show, he thanked everyone for coming along and supporting him. After a mesmerising instrumental that set the scene, he dived into the EP's closer 'You Say'. His set up is minimal — him, his acoustic guitar, and backing instrumentals — but it's more than enough, and this intimate setting was absolutely perfect. Next up he played 'Boy In Control', which is all-consuming in a live environment. The initial portion of his show featured the slowed-down and tender track 'Could You Ever Love Me?' After playing the instrumental from the start, he launched into the beaming sounds of 'Sunlight'.
Though it was expected that his set would mostly include material from his debut EP, the middle portion of the show featured an array of unleashed stuff outside of the EP. The first was a heartfelt and personal track that he wrote about the passing of a fan who took their life. He then played another new track, which afterwards he asked the crowd to give him a thumbs up or a thumbs down — thumbs up covered the room. Next up was another unheard tune called 'Frankenstein', which was positively received.
At the end of the show, fans were treated to his infectious single 'Human'. He closed the show on a bittersweet note with 'If I Die, Then I Die'.
Emerson Snowe continues to reaffirm his status as one of Australia's finest emerging storytellers and his live performances only amplify the immense feeling his music gives listeners.
Written by Amy Smolcic (@amysmolcic)
Photos by Kristy Smolcic (Folio)
