Project Description

BRAD COX

Album Launch

(Transit Bar- Canberra)

10 August 2018

(Live Review)

Reviewer – Benjamin Smith

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Brad Cox may have found the perfect formula, mixing a very market-friendly country sound with an unmistakably local sensibility.

Country music is one of those genres where authenticity is currency. For this reason Australian country has, with a few notable exceptions, struggled at times to find its place. For a long time it struggled, perhaps ironically, with the same issues as Australian hip hop, those being how to progress beyond mere replication without becoming so parochial so as to alienate a wider audience. Much like Australian hip hop there have been some moments along the way where things didn’t quite hit the mark and the results were less than satisfying. There seemed to be a tension between bad Nashville and worse Slim Dusty that took considerable time to resolve.

Cox appears to have resolved those tensions seamlessly, producing an album filled with very very slick, polished country clearly aimed at an international market without looking like he’s doing anything of the sort. Some of the lyrical content might signpost an outreach to a broader mainstream audience but never in a way as to seem contrived. Much of that is probably explained by the genuinely unassuming nature of the bloke himself. Brad is a bigger bloke and at first blush he could be mistaken for a diesel mechanic but on stage and off he comes across as every bit the boy from the bush (or in his case the mountains).

The songs themselves have a slick kind of sound, well produced and as much pop as they are country but without the often tired tropes that accompany the U.S. purveyors of the sound. There are a couple of stand outs on the album with the most currently pertinent being ‘Water on the Ground’, a track destined to become an anthem for drought stricken rural NSW.

Brad brings something of a crowd with him to Transit Bar, the underground cavern that plays host to everything from surfer punk to doom metal. He also brings a couple of support acts with him in the form of Blake O’Connor and Jack Rayne, both of whom are equally impressive performers and who have developed unique styles of their own. O’Connor, particularly, looks like he might not be old enough to even be in the joint without supervision but conveys a maturity in both performing and songcraft that belies his youth.

When Cox does hit the stage it is with a full band, with whom he has a visibly natural rapport. He plays most of the songs from the record and a good sized chunk of the audience end up on their feet and moving to the impossibly likeable songs. He and the band clearly love what they do and, without a lot of banter, they form a nice bond with the room. The other striking thing is just how well the sound from the album is replicated. Cox’s vocal strength and musicality hold up well to the added scrutiny that comes with playing such an intimate venue. He is, in short, an impressive act to witness.

The three acts create a warm congenial kind of communality, much like something you might get at a bigger country pub on a Friday night in summer. It’s notable because that isn’t an easy thing to do in Canberra. I’m certainly not revealing any unique insights when I say that I think Brad Cox is a bloke with a serious future. It’s really nice to be able to bear witness to the early days of a career about to hit its stride.

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