Martin Grech is a very talented guy. He often gets compared to Jeff Buckley and Thom Yorke but then so have many up-and-coming singer-songwriters. These kinds of comparisons are often over-zealous / lazy journalists trying to get a handle on something they don't quite know how to describe. They are often misleading and the accolade of being compared to some of these artists isn't always deserved. However, there are always exceptions and Mr. Grech is one. For someone in his early twenties, he is making some of the most complex, challenging and emotionally engaging music that many other artists who have been around for years couldn't ever hope to replicate.
Having said that, Grech is still a new artist with some creative growing to do. Anyone who has heard his début album, "Open Heart Zoo", will know that this is a musician capable of creating whatever he feels like creating. If that impressive introduction to Martin Grech is anything to go by, the musical world should be his very soon, but for the moment Martin Grech is still learning his craft, taking the slow rise to the top instead of burning out in a flash of hype and over-exposure.
The idea of Grech taking his often heavy and intense live show down a notch into the intimate surroundings of an acoustic performance was certainly intriguing and it would be interesting to see how he would deal with the difference in dynamics. Having no band or amplified distortion to hide behind can often make or break an artist.
The Buffalo Bar is the perfect venue for such a performance with its low level lighting and compact stage area, even if you choose the wrong place to stand (if you are a little on the short side – get to the front or you'll have no chance of seeing anything).
The first act on the bill was young singer-songwriter Lloyd Williams who ambles onto stage noticeably late but full of apologies to the patient audience. Confusingly, there are actually two solo artists called Lloyd Williams knocking around the live circuit, as the guy on stage informs us. THIS Lloyd Williams played a short but engaging acoustic set and his plaintive wailing and impressive songwriting will strike a chord with any followers of Dashboard Confessional and the more melodic side of emo rock. Check him out at
www.lloydwilliams.co.uk (this is the RIGHT Lloyd Williams, by the way).
Next up was Paul The Girl (who, rather cleverly, was actually a girl), wielding her electric guitar like a weapon and playing it like one too. Her eccentric take on solo rock ‘n' roll may turn off some listeners as might the consistant five minute, heavily distorted guitar solos. However, if you are up for the challenge, log in at
www.paulthegirl.com to see what it's all about.
As the venue starts to fill up with expectant punters, a sheepish looking martin Grech finally arrives on stage, acoustic guitar in tow. Opening in a typically low-key manner by mumbling to the crowd about how he feels quite nervous tonight, Grech starts to strum a few chords before stopping to re-tune and then apologise. If this shambolic approach was how most musicians started their shows, there wouldn't be much demand for people paying to see live acts. However, this is Martin Grech, and he can more than make up for the lack of on-stage bravado with the sheer presence of his music. In fact, the "little boy lost" routine just makes the audience warm to him even more. By the first bars of the first song, it's hard to focus on anything else other than the amazing sounds emanating from the slight young man singing and playing his guitar in front of you.
The acoustic environment is perfectly suited to someone like Grech, who can showcase his singing and songwriting prowess in a pure and direct manner that underlines his immense talent. The little glitches between songs like re-tuning or forgetting lyrics and chords to his own songs only help to make the experience a more intimate and personal one. As friend Andy Ross joins him on stage for a couple of tunes, Grech takes full use of the two guitar sound by unleashing into a mini overture of building complexity until at one point the audience is the grip of a metal-esque riff onslaught – albeit played on acoustic guitars – with Martin's surreal voice soaring over the dense noise. The effect is reminiscent of artists like Chris Cornell of Soundgarden fame with its intricate guitar workouts and stellar vocals and is a taster of Grech's powerful performances with his full live band.
A few more gently played numbers later, and the show comes to an end, Grech choosing to bring the audience back into reality with a soft nudge instead of leaving on big pretentious finale. The Buffalo Bar was left buzzing but satisfied after such a fine display and all the signs certainly point to Grech's next album (whenever that appears) being a true work of art to rival those by the artists to whom he is constantly compared.
