Do you ever hear a song for the first time and in that moment, you know that this artist is something special and has that extra magic that many don’t? Leon Bridges first appeared on my music radar about 9 years ago and when I heard him sing his hit ‘River’, my body had a complete visceral reaction to the beauty of this tremendous song.

Hailing from Fort Worth, Texas, Leon Bridges is one of their best exports and is currently touring to promote his fourth studio album simply titled, ‘Leon’. This album is a nostalgic journey back to his roots, celebrating the people and places that raised him and the experiences that have shaped him. Bridges brought his neo soul sound to Australian shores captivating audiences all the way down our east coast, with the final night of the tour wrapping up in Melbourne at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. It was an extremely eclectic crowd strolling through the Botanical Gardens in the direction of Melbourne’s iconic outdoor music venue, but all seemed eager to get inside and find their positions to settle in for the night. Los Bitchos and Glass Beams were the two support acts to get the night started, and both groups did just that. Both offering up an entirely instrumental set with a different flavour from each, the crowd were really digging what they had on offer. Darkness now descended on the bowl as we took our seats to await the soulful sounds of Leon Bridges.

With warming stage lights and a roar from the crowd, a 7-piece band hit the stage and found their positions with Leon not far behind. Kitted out in white flairs and a tan suede tassle jacket, Leon kicked the show off with tracks from his latest album, ‘When A Man Cries’ and ‘Panther City’. Two songs in and I thought an all-in brawl was about to erupt in the groups around us, due to the fact that majority of the crowd felt the need to stand from their seats, completely blocking the view of those behind them. Brawling definitely didn’t fit the vibe check, so once heated words were exchanged everyone eventually cooled their jets and decided just to enjoy what they could see of the show. ‘Flowers’ with it’s upbeat swing feel had the crowd dancing and clapping along, whilst ‘Coming Home’ from the 2015 album of the same name, had us ladies absolutely swooning even more than we already were. ‘Laredo’ was giving off that iconic funky sexy feel that his music seems to continuously emanate, and I have to say ‘That’s What I Love’ about Mr. Bridges. Everyone was getting down to ‘Never Satisfied’, but I can tell you that’s definitely not how the crowd were feeling as they were getting lost in his sultry, hypnotic melodies.

I was personally excited that he did a couple of songs from his collab albums with Khruangbin which included ‘Mariella’ and my all time favourite, ‘Texas Sun’. The latter is one of those songs that can instantly transport you to a time and place and every time I hear it, I swear to God I’m rolling down that highway, with the wind blowing through my hair with that hot Texan sun beating down on my skin. His lyrics truly are something else and provide a completely immersive experience as they seep into your veins when combined with his soothing instrumentals. I got the feeling that despite his vulnerable lyrics and confidence on stage, he seemed quite introverted given his very limited interactions with the audience. He was a man focused on his task for the night which was to entertain us, and that’s exactly what he delivered.

Asked if there were any dancers in the house, the crowd responded with their best moves during ‘You Don’t Know’, as it delivered its funk-flavoured bass line. I loved that instead of the usual stage formation, the band were seated on stage in a semi-circle with Leon at the forefront, which made it feel like we were just hanging out in a friend’s lounge room having an intimate jam session. Floating through his enchanting set, the audience were slurping up every bit of musical goodness exuding from this talented being. Soon enough, it was time to take me back to where my Leon Bridges discovery began with the spine tingling, gospel-like track, ‘River’. Bridges played the first half of the song alone with his acoustic guitar, whilst his bass player swapped out his bass for a cello to give the song a deep resonance that consumes you entirely.

‘Peaceful Place’ and ‘Smooth Sailing’ not only took us on another journey but also rounded out the end of his set. This crowd were salivating and weren’t going to let him get off that easily so luckily, he reappeared to give us a couple more treats that we so desperately craved. Bridges once again hit the stage on his own with only his guitar for company as he sang ‘Lisa Sawyer’, before the band joined him again for the final song, ‘Beyond’. As one of his earlier hits from his ‘Good Thing’ album, the crowd were ecstatic as the band led into this track and the song had never sounded so good with 10,000+ additional back-up singers. It was now time for a real goodbye as Leon departed the stage and left everyone to slowly come out of their hypnotic trance he’d put them in right from the first song.

The perfect recipe of soul, with some funk and gospel influences and the right amount of sexy, Leon Bridges is an incredible talent that puts him up there with some of the greats. His voice is pure magic that gives you all the flutters, and his tone is as smooth as a hot knife gliding through a block of butter. In addition to his musical talent is his stunning lyrical prowess, and debriefing with my friend after the show we both agreed that the way he writes about his muses (whoever they may be…) with such adoration is what girls can only dream of. Oh, to have a man worship and write that way about you. This is one show that will stay with me, and I will continue to have his records on high rotation for my regular Leon fix. If you haven’t heard of Leon Bridges or his music, then it’s high time you add him to your streaming playlist and experience the tingles and flutters for yourself.