It’s always a good sign when an artist sells out a venue so fast that they’re upgraded to a bigger place. Enter Nashville-based singer songwriter Stephen Sanchez. He’s upgraded to Melbourne’s iconic 170 Russell barely a week following his first Australian tour announcement, and easily sells out the newly allocated venue as well. Impressive! Even though he’s not yet a major player, Sanchez’s following is solid, and on show night, 170 Russell is filled to the brim with an audience who are absolutely chomping at the bit to see him. And here’s why: everyone in the room knows – Sanchez is it! They’ve all heard his stuff, and they know – he’s waaay more than just a one-hit-done-my-bit player. And they also know it’s only a matter of time before the whole world catches on. Take note!
The great thing about Stephen Sanchez is that he’s fluid. You can’t really lock him down musically to any one genre. He’s a little bit country, he’s a little bit contemporary, and although his style can lend heavily towards a late fifties/early sixties sound – he’s not completely that either. There are many sides and many sounds to singer/songwriter Stephen Sanchez – but what unifies them all is one hell of a gorgeous, and gloriously versatile, voice. And the folks in the room tonight know he’s that good. They’re here to experience the magic, plain and simple. Whatever songs he decides to sing, whatever journey it is he decides to take them on, they’re in. You can feel it.
Being the support act is always a tough gig – especially on a night where the main artist is so keenly anticipated. Tonight it’s Aussie indie-popster Charley whose name is on the support bill and you can tell by her welcome that she’s up for the challenge. Not only does she warm up the crowd, she rocks their damn socks off! What a great set! She’s punchy and poppy, with a bit of rock, and just the right twist of indie thrown in. The band is tight and there’s a hella lot of interaction with the crowd – always great to see. And Charley herself – workshirt around her waist, diamantes, safety pins and pink hair – part punk, part pop, part alt – is pure entertainment. She’s a great spark – fabulous energy, great sound – and even though it isn’t material we’re familiar with (the exception being a kick-ass cover of Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Since You Been Gone’), the crowd are happy to jump onboard for the ride. Kudos Charley! Well done.
Finally, 9.05pm and the house lights dim. It’s time! And from the moment he walks onstage, Stephen Sanchez is home. His wide grin and joyous energy fill the room, and it’s game on. And what a welcome he gets! His first song, ‘Hey Girl’, is signature Sanchez – melodic and beautiful, with the catchiest of beats – and that voice, showcased perfectly. He lets loose on the guitar and quickly rolls into ‘Hold Her While You Can’ – some definite country feels here and he’s feelin’ it too, dancing in circles with his guitar, completely in the moment, free. Then from his ‘What Was, Not Now’ EP is ‘Kayla’ – again a country feel, but this time with more of a contemporary edge. This first set is high-energy – he’s ripping it up – and despite some interviews I’ve seen where he’s alluded to pre-show nerves – onstage he’s all confidence. But not in an arrogant way – in in a good and joyful, charming kind of way. And the band, well they’re absolutely loving it too. It’s a great chemistry that’s created onstage.
And then he changes gear. For the most part, when artists dip into the somewhat slower songs at their live shows, the crowd can get a little antsy wanting things to speed up again. But not at a Stephen Sanchez show. Because it’s in the ballads where Stephen Sanchez truly hits his stride. And his audience love them. For the audience, every single moment of a slow song is savoured and felt and longed for. And Stephen Sanchez is a superb storyteller. His lyrics fall across the melody like poetry, and he sings with depth and understanding. The rousing cheers following the silence of the very last note of ‘Please Don’t Go Home Yet’ are amazing.
At just 20 years of age, Sanchez is young, and still somewhat green – and for some performers that can mean a lack of style or confidence or both. But not Sanchez. In this case, his relative inexperience translates into something very special. It gives us a performer who is unaffected and genuine in everything he says and does – and it’s beautiful and very refreshing. Stephen Sanchez connects deeply with the songs he sings, he connects with his bandmates, and he connects with the crowd. There’s nothing ‘put on’ about him – what you see is what you get. And what you get? Is heartfelt. On the more upbeat songs you can see it in the way he totally gives in to the music and lets it take over – he’s falling to the floor on his knees, dancing and spinning in circles with his guitar held high, rocking out to the music, it’s the music the music the music, and he feels it and digs it and lets himself fall into it and it’s crazy good. At certain points, he’s reminiscent of a young Elvis Presley (“I just can’t help it it’s the beat” said Elvis) – but Sanchez is not reminiscent in an affected ‘I’m being just like Elvis’ kind of way, no – this is a similarity borne of youth and feeling the music in your very soul, and freeing yourself to the beat. That’s what this is. Elvis felt it and expressed it, and Sanchez feels it and expresses it too. And how perfectly wild is that?!
But as much as he can rock out and have fun with the stories his songs tell, yes, it’s the ballads where Stephen Sanchez truly comes into his own. “This is the acoustic section of the show” he tells us, as he launches into a new song, one he wrote on his guitar in an empty room. The song, I think, is called ‘Fame and Fortune’ – and I say ‘I think’ because, the song is so new I couldn’t find reference to it anywhere. But this – this new song – is truly, one of the most superb, most moving ballads I have ever experienced live. Shades of early Elvis here, and oh such velvet tones and a melody that settles straight into your soul. Sanchez suspends the entire place into a single moment in time, and by the end of the song, I’m in tears. Utterly amazing.
And then. He follows the showstopper of the night, with, wait for it – ‘Unchained Melody’. And people. Let. Me. Tell. You. This too, is next level. He climbs into the song, and he not only fills it out, but lifts it up, honouring it on every level imaginable. And that, is quite some feat. The strength and depth of his voice, the beautiful timbre, the control, the perfect pitch, the vibrato and falsetto, and the feeling behind every single note is truly something to behold. Incredible.
At some point during the evening, someone up back of the crowd decides to throw in a gem, in the form of the uniquely Australian ‘Aussie Aussie Aussie’ chant. Ah it’s great to see the look on the out-of-towners faces’ whenever this happens at a gig. “Aussie Aussie Aussie” they yell from the back of the floor. And the whole place answers back with a massive “OI OI OI!” A bewildered and amused ‘Whaaaat-tha-faaaa’ sums up Sanchez’s reaction. What tha indeed. Welcome to Oz, Stephen! He initiates the chant himself later on in the night – it’s well played and the audience laugh. An honourary Aussie is our Stephen now. Well done!
The final sprint of the night is pure retro-inspired pop, beginning with the delightful ‘Evangeline’ and followed by one of my favourites, ‘Only Girl’. How wonderful that Sanchez has bought such an iconic era from the past back to life for such a young, contemporary audience. Best of all, there’s nothing calculated in the way he’s done this. He writes songs borne out of the genuine love he has for the music of this era – and that’s what makes them so powerful. As one radio interviewer put it, Sanchez is “50’s and 60’s for the modern age”. He’s not wrong. Live, he’s high-fidelity pop with a Gibson twang, and more than worthy of swooning over. And they do – the girls in the front row are going nuts! And he’s loving it!
Of course the last song of the night is the breakthrough hit ‘Until I Found You’ – the most perfect recapture of the fifties I’ve ever heard. That single – the voice, the lyrics, that guitar, the production, the magic ahhhhh perfection I tell you perfection. It’s gloriously addictive, it fills you up – every feeling, every longing is right there in the song – and it pulls you in in the most beautiful way. It’s Sun Studios, it’s Elvis, it’s The Everly Brothers, it’s the Platters – it’s all in there. It’s everything it should be, and even though, technically you can explain everything it is and everything it does, there’s still that something it has that you can’t explain. And that’s what makes it perfect. That’s what makes Stephen Sanchez well…genius! Live, ‘Until I Found You’ is a dream. It translates perfectly. It really is the very most, to say the least (you dig?). Especially when at the end – arm outstretched and mic in hand – Sanchez gets the audience to sing a chorus on their own. It’s a joyous, beautiful moment – they’re with him and he’s with them and we’re all in this together. As it should be.
Sanchez hands out guitar pics and setlists before he leaves the stage, and we’re wondering if that’s it then? But no. This cat still has something special up his sleeve. For the encore? He turns it over to us. “What do you want to hear?’, he asks the audience, and it’s a genuine question. He doesn’t have any songs pre-planned – he is genuinely asking. And he listens, and he plays what the crowd ask him to play. When he starts ‘Because of You’ (“I can’t remember the last time I played this”), he gets the chords wrong. “Keep going keep going!” the crowd yell. And he feels the love and laughs – and keeps going. The audience don’t care about the mistakes – they just want to experience the beautiful. It’s one of the most amazing moments of the whole night.
It’s not often that you hear someone live who can reproduce exactly onstage what you’ve heard them record. I can think of only a very rare few that I’ve seen who could do that, George Michael among them. But Stephen Sanchez can. He is just as perfect live as he is on his recorded songs. He has an absolutely phenomenal voice, he is an incredibly gifted songwriter, and his shows are a joy to experience. Sanchez may a newcomer but he has an old soul, and you can not only hear it in his music, you can literally feel it. Look out world. If you haven’t already, better get hip to the sounds of Sanchez. He’s one to watch.
[Linda Memphis, June 2023]
© 2023 Linda Memphis
I dint know he was in Melbourne although they said it was sold out . I play his music every night i just love his voise and he is such a nice guy love je Steven ????????????????????????????????