REVIEW: Matt Corby's Rainbow Valley Tour

Here at Something Something, we feel that gig reviews tend to ignore the basics, bag on the hard working musicians, and leave little room for the next artists to improve their events, at the end of the day sometimes you just want to know if there is good selfie lighting. However we’ve constructed a Gig Review Checklist through the lens of a more industry perspective.

Australian indie/ folk artist, Matt Corby, played the Michael Fowler Centre on Saturday night and here’s how we felt the gig went!

We’ve scored them out of one to five SOMETHINGS in each of our crucial gig requirements:

(1 being ‘not your best’, 5 being ‘wow amazing!’)

Promotions: 3 SOMETHINGS

I saw the gig advertised on Facebook when the show was first announced and knew I had to go, so that was that. I saw a couple of posters around the city and updates on the event page, but nothing that memorable from promotions unfortunately.

Turnout: 5 SOMETHINGS

By the time I actually released how full the venue was, we were already onto the third song and the volume of the applause from the audience brought me back to reality. It was legit packed, I couldn’t see an empty seat.

Atmosphere: 5 SOMETHINGS
Honest to God, I’d never experienced a crowd like it! It was lowkey overwhelming how much good energy was bouncing off the walls of the Michael Foyer Centre that night. I’m not going to lie, I almost cried at one point. And, I don’t mean to brag but Matt Corby said, and I quote, “this is genuinely the best crowd we’ve ever had”. So yeah, you get the point. It was definitely a gig to remember.

Sound and Lighting: 5 SOMETHINGS

The sound was solid. All of the instruments were balanced and nothing sounded out of place. I don’t really know what else to say about it other than bloody great job. The lighting was so good as well. All of the colours and movement worked so well with the music and brought the show to life! Everyone was in awe, seriously. After it had finished we were standing in the foyer speechless by how good it was, and that doesn’t happen very often.

Venue: 5 SOMETHINGS

The Michael Fowler Centre was a perfect fit for Matt Corby. Last time he came to Wellington he played an amazing show at the Opera House, but for the amount he’s grown in the past 3 years, the upgrade to MFC was definitely needed. I talked to a few people who were seated all over the auditorium and it sounded like there wasn’t a bad seat in the house, and my view from the dress circle was killer!

Bathroom: 4 SOMETHINGS

The bathroom on the top level, nearest to me, was always packed but surprisingly clean. There were a couple of drunk girls being weird, but overall, yeah, pretty good for bathrooms. There were more downstairs as well, but clearly no one could be bothered walking all the way down the stairs… Millennials, am I right?

Bar/food: 3 SOMETHINGS

Honestly, I didn’t go near the bar because ya girl is on a budget. There were a lot of people getting drinks and snacks from the bar and they seemed happy enough. And then there was me, opting for a $2 steamed bun from the night markets across the road.

Merchandise: 4 SOMETHINGS

Remember that budget I was talking about? It didn’t last very long when I arrived at the merch stand. Fully stocked and actually reasonably priced, I was able to score myself a 7” vinyl of his live singles for $15. Not too shabby!

Price: 4 SOMETHINGS

I think we paid around $80 for tickets, which definitely stung at the time. But after the night I had on Saturday, I’d happily pay more to relive that show again! Clearly, I’m not great at sticking to a budget (sorry mum and dad).

Even though Matt Corby isn’t a local artist, make sure get out and go to some gigs people! There’s a 95% chance you’ll have a solid time.