“Prepare your spirit. Laugh at your fear. Be kind to the Living. Remember the dead”. Murdoch’s intro spooks the drink-merry audience into a perfect silence. The eerie tone of Murdoch’s voice in this phantom song, mirrors the dark atmosphere of the venue – The Haunt; a converted old cinema. Murdoch is a barely distinguishable figure on the dimly lit stage, and the seated audience – the majority of whom are sitting in a polite cross-legged arrangement in front of the stage, remain faithfully quiet as Murdoch strums on to compositions less remarkable.
Despite recurring sound issues, the shadowy Murdoch remains in good spirits and attempts at drawing the audience into light-hearted exchanges during intervals. He reveals that this is his first time in Brighton and that he “likes” it. Murdoch’s un-extravagant revelations are in fitting with the simple honesty exercised in his minimalistic songs such as ‘At Your Door‘, where he unashamedly reassures “you can leave me kneeling on the floor but I will only love you more”. Although his songs have a tendency to blur into one another, the audience remain captivated by the melancholic beauty of his folksy vocals and humble stagemanship.
