Live Review: Liam Finn @ Bush Hall

We went along to see Liam Finn (and friends) play Bush Hall last night. As usual, he was assisted on stage by Eliza-Jane Barnes (which makes the pair of them a trans-Tasman super group at one generation remove). For those who had only heard his recordings, the energy and amount of sound they generated on stage was something of a surprise. Between the two of them and an effects pedal, they could build up an impressive wall of sound, and just as easily tear it away and return to the stripped back vocals that are more familiar.

With Liam's laid back on-stage banter, and E-J occasionally sipping from a mug, it might have suggested they were simply going through the motions at the end of a long tour, but such suspicions were blasted away as soon as we saw Liam attack the drum kit. As he said himself, sometimes he can be "a bit manic" on stage. Thanks to an almost instant rapport with the crowd, and especially with some friends in the audience conscripted onto stage to help out (Colin in particular added a certain Flight of the Conchords charm with his kiwi accent and talk of awkward threesomes), the gig felt like watching a couple of friends messing about in your living room. Except that in this case your living room is a restored 1900's hall complete with chandeliers and mirror ball, and your friends are extremely talented.

The Boy Who Trapped The Sun managed to overcome the immediate disadvantage of being the support act: playing the sort of sweet alt-folk that seems to come so easily from sheep covered islands (in his case, the Isle of Lewis), and which could easily be drowned out by a half-dozen disinterested conversations, he managed to get the crowd's attention and hold it. Well worth turning up early for, if you make it along tonight.

Liam Finn plays Bush Hall (map) tonight, supported by The Boy Who Trapped The Sun. Tickets are £13.50 via ticketweb