It is difficult to overstate how beautiful the temporary venue set up at the Manly Barracks for the Night at the Barracks concert series is. With views out towards Manly over trees and beautiful sunsets, it is hard to imagine a better view for a concert in Sydney. 

In the final weekend of the 2024 Night at the Barracks season, Matt Corby hit the stage for a headlining set. Corby, who initially found fame on Australian Idol in 2007, has gone from strength to strength in the Australian music industry ever since. 

Corby is an exceptional instrumentalist and this was immediately apparent in his set. He started out with some virtuosic piano to introduce the set before moving quickly into some of his biggest songs. Corby also has one of the best voices in the Australian music industry and as he eased into the set, this became obvious for all to see. He played “All Fired Up” early on in the set, with the power in his voice resonating through the Manly air, leaving the audience spellbound. 

While Corby’s voice was sublime for the whole concert, it was difficult at times for the audience to connect with Corby as the set progressed. As a performer, Corby was quite insular on stage, letting his music do the majority of the talking with very little interaction with the crowd. To some extent, this was fine given the strength of his musicianship but it did mean that his connection with the audience was compromised at times, which affected the atmosphere of the performance. This was especially evident in some of his biggest hits like “Resolution” which was performed in a fairly laidback manner, which meant that some of the ethereal moments that the audience was waiting for were missing. 

Vocally, Corby saved his sublime best for the end of the set, hitting some incredible notes in “Better Than That” to close out his main set. When he returned for the encore, he performed a quirky cover of TLC’s “No Scrubs” which began to get the audience dancing as he stripped down the iconic beat of the song into an alternative version. He then performed his biggest hit “Brother” which showed off the full range of his vocals, with the audience up and dancing to close out the night. 

Overall, this was a highly enjoyable show that showed off Corby’s incredible vocals in a tight and compact setlist filled with all his biggest hits and an interesting cover. The setting was beautiful as always and it was a great way to kick off the closing weekend. While Corby didn’t always connect with the audience in the way that they were perhaps looking for, the strength of his musicianship meant that this was only a footnote on a concert that showcased everything Australian music has to offer. 

Rating: ★★★★

Matt Corby – 4^th October, 2024 – Night at the Barracks

All photo credits: Ilyas Adil