Neil Murray - Wollongong - April 18 2024

In March 2023 Neil Murray released his tenth solo album, “The Telling”, and as always with Neil, extensive touring followed. He visited Sydney with band a month later. I decided to forgo the drive. In the twelve months following, he’s done solo shows right across the country, finally returning to coastal NSW. And while I’d prefer to see him again with a band, this gig was too close to home to say no. It was better attended than the last time I saw him in Wollongong, three years ago, but the numbers still so small that I wondered how all his regional touring was financially viable. And maybe it was just me, but Neil did strike me as being a little tired.
As always it was a value for money performance, comprising of two sets and encores, a total of 21 songs. Hardly surprising, the greatest number of songs came from “The Telling”, but there were also songs spanning his entire musical career, including two from his time with Warumpi Band. I too concentrated on his latest album but also managed to record a couple of old favourites:
The Footsteps of Blackfella Bob (01:00)
Tears of Wybalenna (04:03)
Horse & Rider (09:20)
Menindee (15:41)
For Evermore (19:20)
Joining My Life (24:49)
Blackfella/Whitefella (29:46)
Neil Murray is one of Australia’s most significant singer/songwriters. Very few artists have captured the essence of this nation, all its highs and lows, its beauty and its tragedies, in the ways that he has managed to do. And while, the audience might have been small, they were very appreciative of his visit and the stories he had to tell.

[@Peter_LiveMusic]

Neil's music can be bought from his website:
www.neilmurray.com.au/pages/disc.html
Facebook: facebook.com/NeilMurrayMusic

[@lisaswift9122]

Kind of Like Woody Guthrie music I heard growing up glad to see folks return

[@Peter_LiveMusic]

I think Neil would be pleased with the Woody Guthrie comparison. Like Woody, Neil's songs are often concerned with social injustices. But he's not quiet as 'folk' as Woodie. While his solo performances are largely acoustic, his studio recordings do involve a full band, and at times, his songs can take on a more traditional 'rock' feel. The mark of good song writing is when a song can be striped right back and it still sounds just as good as with a full band. If you want to learn a little more about Australia, both its history and the contemporary issues facing it, you can't go past listening to Neil Murray. Thanks for commenting.