Image: supplied
In Metamorphica William Elm gives his audience an intimate, live recital of his new album. It’s an attractive change from much of the over-produced and sterile musical introductions that have become common place. Instead both performers exude a kind of self-conscious charm, offering a few words or muted smile in between songs. It suits the music well and with humility and grace, they simply let the music talk.
The apex of the music undoubtedly came with the transition between the first and second half of the show when, as Elm explained, the more melancholic and wistful melodies gained an element of hope without shedding the fear of the still present sadness. It felt a more realistic hope and was able to offer a genuine moment of encouragement. Accompanying Elm was Nicholas Gray who cuts a Nicholas Hoult-esque figure, quiet and understated yet possessing wonderful poise. The two communicate very well and if this was a relatively new pairing it did not show as they clearly share a deep understanding both of the music and each other. Their style and presence are ideal compliments and helped give the music the hidden edges and vulnerability that it needed.
There are discernible influences of Yann Tiersen and minimal instrumentalists like Nils Okland but at times the overlap strayed into derivation, particularly in one of the later piano tracks. What sets artists like Tiersen and Okland apart though is their ability to construct a moving narrative both with individual compositions and bodies of work as a whole. Metamorphica had this at times but lacked an underlying thread to bring the entire performance together into a cohesive story.
There is a need for a journey aspect in instrumental music wherein you feel moved through something and be deposited, changed, at the end. Even if it’s a circular route back to where you left, you look for something akin to tumbling back through C.S. Lewis’s wardrobe, unsure if Narnia was real or a dream. Metamorphica had soaring moments, but one feels very much attached to the point of embarkation.
Despite this, there is something about Elm himself that carries this very well. As the layers of his costume came off, he began to expose himself more and more and the result may not have been transcendence but it was real human authenticity. He was able to bring something unique onto stage – vulnerability – and while that may not power you to distant and surreal worlds it asks something subtler. It asks you to lean in, to see a person’s feelings unadorned and while we are often trained to be only impressed by the fantastic, the undeniable beauty of the simple and honest will always endure.
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
William Elm: Metamorphica
By William Elm and Nicholas Grey
The Butterfly Club
8-9 January 2016
