On a balmy Autumn night; a collected throng of interested yet relaxed patrons and I gathered at The Tuning Fork (a rad little venue that is nestled into the side of the behemoth that is Vector Arena); and were treated to the EP Release gig for Wellington's lovely bluesy crooner - Louis Baker. This wonderfully talented young fella took minimal time to enchant the crowd and have them eating out of the palm ofhis slide-guitaring hand. Kicking off with Heavy Stone which has the aching refrain of 'Hope is the only thing/I've got to hold on to', and beautifully accompanied by a cellist and violinist; it was clear from the outset that Baker intended to provide a EP Release gig to deliver all the fine nuances of his talents and musical direction - good effort, Sir!

After a song or few of Baker's accomplished set of blues, soul, folk and a Rat Pack era crooning standard, it became apparent to all assembled that Mr Baker is rather easy on the eye; with many ladies hollering out appreciation at Baker's slightest head bobble, fret board wiggle or the gentlest flash of his humble, yet thousand watt smile. Baker also treated us to EP track Love and also The Way; a song close to his heart he explained to the crowd, as it was written in 2013 when Baker was living in the mean ol' streets of New York and learning about the duality of being 'just another number' whilst striving to find your own unique way in the world - a beautiful and uplifting lil tune! There was a delightful scatty, skanking breakdown at one point too... all light-hearted Friday night fun instigated by Baker, as he celebrated the fact his EP had debuted at #8 in the same week as this performance.

Perhaps best of all... was Baker's unexpected cover. "I've been waiting to play this song allllll night and you'll know it, hope you know it." Baker then launches into a silky, sensuous rendition of Purple Rain and it's awesome! Everyone is singing along, crowd participation being something that Baker seems to thrive on; we're all cooing the words along to his loping rendition in the flickering candle-lit like glow of The Tuning Fork and the warmth of appreciating a truly great piece of song writing. Nice Vibes!

Baker is a confident and charismatic performer, bringing on the cheese to break the ice, along with a nod and a wink, to show he's really serious about what he's performing for you. Baker has an air of James Blake brilliance to his voice, simultaneously having a vocal power that he unleashed on tracks like Soul Sister; where Baker belted out notes with such force he would have no problem holding his own with Hard Rock and Metal front men NZ and the world over. Soul Sister was also where Baker took the opportunity to riff it with the audience some more, singing that he loved it when the Tuning Fork got good numbers and even working in a request for a drink to be waiting for him at the bar on his set completion. Like a wonderful piece of cinema, Baker decided to round out his performance by book ending the utilisation of the cellist and violinist once more for his 'encore' of single, Birds. A track which comes off a bit John Mayer on first listen, gaining a delicious depth when paired with these rich instruments. Baker's wicked sense of humour was also in play before the encore, with Baker playing along with that whole 'leave the stage and come back for one song' thing, however done in a self-deprecating and knowing manner. A great performer and certainly an artist you should make time to see live at your next possible opportunity.

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• 6
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  GOOD LUCK, BABE!
  Chappell Roan

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