He is one of those people that I should hate. He is a year or two younger than me, a full head of dark hair, showing a scant few of the lines and years that are etched on my face, good looking and slim and the sort of person you would dislike through jealousy, if they weren't so nice. Matt was always a gentleman, softly spoken and someone it was and is, always a pleasure to meet. I saw him perform "back in the day" and whilst I don't remember too much about the songs or music, I do remember his voice, a deep rich baritone at a time when everyone was trying to hit the highest notes possible, he simply sang the song without the histrionics and drama of "will he or won't he hit the note this time", it was less about him and more about the music, he did whatever the music needed.
Anyway, he is a singer/songwriter now and I found out he was playing in London this Saturday just gone, so a group of us went up to see him perform. I checked him out on YouTube and was very pleased to hear the voice is still in great form but he has written some quite amazing songs, the sort that I would have bought regardless of friendship. I played them to my youngest daughter and she decided that her boyfriend would like it so the two of them and another friend also came to see him. He has that youth demographic nailed then...cool where I am the epitome of uncool, talented where I am decidedly less than talented and where I sing, they laugh, he sings and they tell me how good his falsetto and range is.
It was a nice venue near Euston, the Pack and Carriage, intimate and perfectly suited to the singer/songwriter vibe, sofas and chairs all round, the chitter chatter of earnest conversations from the coiffured bearded and mustachioed clientele and obscure and delicious looking ales and beers that I avoided as I am currently in training...apparently...
Matt's set was short, 1/2 an hour and he is naturally a very endearing performer, not showy as the songs speak for themselves. His guitar playing is very good, lots of finger picking and some hypnotic patterns and the voice was excellent. The set was surprisingly varied, he even produced a banjo for one song and unlike the showier performers that entertain, his is a journey that you are all making together, you are drawn in.
Ignore the drums in the picture above, the whole set was just him.
Grace of the Winds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O7YK8EBgiU
Deptford Shore: https://www.facebook.com/mattdolphinmusic/videos
I did try to pin Matt down on comparisons but he wouldn't be pinned down, I can see that he writes for himself and any comparisons can be drawn by other people. I heard shades of many people in his playing and singing, I would compare him to Ryley Walker in attitude, where Walker is very American, I think Matt sounds more English, I am sure other people will hear different things but he is more the future than the past, very introspective and thoughtful, it does leave you wondering why he isn't better known.
The interesting thing was after his set, he came and sat with us but as we were talking and it was getting loud inside, we all went outside to talk. He couldn't help himself, he kept glancing through the window to see who was playing and in the end he had to go back inside, he was torn between his friends and the playing musicians. He will probably feel bad that I noticed, particularly as we sloped off without saying goodbye, my daughter's friends had a trek back and time was slipping for them so we had to dash but it was very nice to see someone so genuinely supportive of other musicians, having said that, I think his material was stronger than the others but that may be a friend talking but judge for yourself, he has a couple of CD's available to buy or download (I bought them):
http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/Review/25688/M/
If you get the chance, go and see him play and be sure to say hello, you can check his Facebook page for dates: https://www.facebook.com/mattdolphinmusic/
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