Richmond, Virginia’s Matthew E White is quite the polymath. He’s a label owner, producer, arranger and songwriter. In addition, he’s also a long-winded storyteller. Early into his set at The Button Factory, White regales the audience in his distinctive tones with the events surrounding his near-aborted first Irish appearance at Whelan’s in 2013. In a nutshell, a gastric bug resulted in an emotional reconciliation with a friend from his early childhood spent in the Philippines, who conveniently was also a doctor. However, although his genial persona and on-stage banter are disarming, it’s the subtle power of his music that will live long in the memory.
Whilst acclaimed albums, Big Inner and last year’s Fresh Blood are bathed in lush production, White adopts an entirely different approach to creating the live experience. No doubt commercial realities necessitate a stripped-down, two guitar, bass-and-drum approach. Still, it’s testament to the quality of his experimental soul-meets-gospel sound that the material’s impact isn’t diminished, simply reimagined.
Whereas lesser talents often choose to batter their audiences into aural submission with sheer volume, White’s clever use of restraint maximises the impact of his storytelling. Momentarily, his hushed spoken default delivery switches to lung-bursting wail to deliver a killer chorus, such as on the epic ‘Fruit Trees’, or signal the beginning of an instrumental tour de force. Standouts such as ‘Feeling Good is Good Enough’ build progressively, with the delicate guitar interplay and White’s soothing delivery gradually supplanted by the band in full-flight. The guitar progressions and driving bass runs build towards a powerful climax, topped off by soulful and uplifting vocals, not dissimilar to ‘Hey Jude’. From the stirring gospel plea of ‘Big Love’ to the ramshackle swagger of ‘Rock and Roll is Cold’, White takes his audience on a meandering stylistic journey. Departing to a rapturous ovation, the band re-emerge for the obligatory encore, which, somewhat surprisingly, consists of two covers. Audience hopes of hearing the hauntingly beautiful ‘Holy Moly’ are dashed, although the faithful rendition of Randy Newman’s magnificent ‘Sail Away’ isn’t a half-bad replacement. A no-nonsense take on Neil Young’s ‘Are You Ready for the Country’, complete with an exhilarating rock-out, brings the evening to a close. Unquestionably, White is a serious talent and his passionate, innovative music is deserving of a wider audience. Big Love, indeed.