Murray’s music keeps rolling on

FOUNDING member of the Warumpi Band, Neil Murray will perform at the Old Church on the Hill next month.

Alongside guitarist Damien Neil, Murray will take to the Quarry Hill stage for two shows on Saturday, 27 and Sunday, 28 March.

Murray said he’s looking forward to the gig, only recently returning to performing since his pandemic-forced hiatus began last March.

“Port Fairy Folk Festival is one of the last major gigs we did in 2020 just before the shutdown,” he said.

Expecting his audience to enjoy the cosy vibe of the sofa-filled venue, Murray hopes the concerts will be relaxing, with moments of storytelling, and opportunities for questions and requests.

“It’s a nice sound in there. I’m going to be playing my songs. There’ll be newer releases, like single the Keep Rolling On, stuff off my most recent albums, Blood and Longing, and Tjungu, which I did with Sammy Butcher.

“I’ll be doing familiar favourites, and maybe some people haven’t heard of. I always do a couple of Warumpi Band songs as well. It’s a bit of a roam around the landscape, picking up career landmarks,” he said.

“My audience is an appreciative listening audience generally, but some might get up to dance for a few of the up-tempo numbers too.”

Murray said music and arts spaces with a theatre feel, like the Old Church, “encourage a finer, nuanced kind of performance,” free of distractions.

“You can really focus and plumb a depth of intimacy that you might not get normally, so it can transport the artists and audience, and be quite moving.

“There’s an exquisite and unique intimacy and immediacy there, like playing in someone’s loungeroom. It’s cherished, very supportive, and fulfilling,” he said.

“You all go under a spell.”

Neil Murray will perform at 7.30pm on Saturday, 27 March, and 4.30pm on Sunday, 28 March.

Both shows can accommodate a COVID-compliant capacity of 48 people. Visit bit.ly/3dABqDl for tickets.