Wendy Matthews blew everyone away with her performance on Wednesday night at The Abbey. Supported by the lovely Julia Johnson from the band Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens, the show was a great way to break up the week.
Julia began the evening playing an acoustic set of both her old and new songs showing her range as an artist. Julia played many songs off her bands new album Family Pets such as Little Surprises. The soft sound of the acoustic and her voice created a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere to enjoy dinner as well as the live show.
The music and the venue complimented each other perfectly; the soft candlelit lighting and the small crowd along with the relaxed atmosphere created an intimate setting. The set up of the tables around the stage allowed you to be able to see every part of the show. The sound was so clear and amplified by the tall ceilings that no matter where you were sitting you could easily hear every word that was sung.
The Abbey was a great venue to hold any event as its big space allowed people to easily move around and dance as well as sit and enjoy the show.
Wendy Matthews came on not long after to a loud applause and cheer, and performed effortlessly her many chart topping songs. She added to the already intimate setting by swapping stories behind her songs and how they were written allowing you to better know her as an artist as well as the meaning of her songs.
She played crowd favorites such as Fridays Child, Token Angels, Love and Happiness as well as covers from her album “She” by fellow Canadians Joni Mitchell and Buffy St Marie creating a powerful and intense set.
Wendy was personable and easy going on stage especially as you took in the stories about her music, you couldn’t help but be in awe of her talent of not only singing but song writing as well. As she left the stage the crowds applause didn’t stop until she returned to do an acoustic encore.
Wendy Matthews showed why she’s an award winning artist and beloved by so many fans on Wednesday night, the gig left you feeling like you knew her on a deeper level and had a new appreciation for her music. A fantastic touch to the end of a great night was that Wendy actually was signing copies of her album after her set and meeting fans. There are few artist of her caliber that continues to do this, creating a greater amount of respect for an already unbelievable artist.
