If you're a fan of musicals, then the 
Josef Salvat in Zurich - 21 March 2016
When Australian singer-songwriter Josef Salvat announces mid-show that his next song will be equally as melodramatic as the last one, he's not exaggerating: his music is emotional to the core, languid and dynamic in turn, making for a compelling concert experience. Many of his tracks are more danceable than expected, especially if the only Salvat songs you've heard are Hustler or Diamonds.
Salvat's exquisite cover of Rihanna's Diamonds - written by fellow Australian Sia - put him on the map. But it's his own songs, composed over a period of ten years, that are more interesting: the hints of Chris Isaak in Till I Found You, the dark menace of Shoot And Run, the 70s funk vibe of Closer.
At 27, Salvat already has his own distinctive style, even if the tracks on debut album Night Swim have varied undercurrents, reflecting the shifting moods of a decade lived to the full.
He has clearly hit a sonic nerve: the audience in Zurich is highly appreciative, celebrating Open Season's pop nous and Punchline's beautiful melody.
Finishing with a moving vocal of Chet Baker's You Don't Know What Love Is - the choice of which shows excellent taste - and This Life, Salvat proves himself to be a consummate artist.
It'll be exciting to see what he does next.
- Anna Wirz
Setlist:
Night Swim
Paradise
Constant Runners
Secret
In The Audience
Hustler
Every Night
Diamonds (Rihanna cover)
Till I Found You
Shoot And Run
A Better Word
Punchline
The Days
Closer
Open Season
You Don't Know What Love Is (Chet Baker cover)
This Life
Josef Salvat was kind enough to talk to The English Show before the concert - the full interview is here.
