Our old Melbourne town has a fondness for dark country, for stout musical melancholy to be consumed in our grimy parlours. I’ve been attending live music regularly in Melbourne for over four years now and-not to blow my own horn-thought I had a pretty good grasp on who were the best musicians in town. Then along comes Hawk Moth. Mathew Barker had been a writer of sorts for a time before taking to music, and his listing of John Fante and Hank Chinaski as influences on his Facebook may give an indication of the lyrical content on Hawk Moth (other influences: cigarettes, the ocean). These are simple acoustic songs that I grew very fond of, songs that lament loss and celebrate friendship. Barker’s voice has a lovely high reediness, flavoured with nicotine and Coopers Pale Ale. Since discovering this record I’ve had a bit of contact with Matt-seems he’s been out of town but is playing a few local gigs soon. He reckons he’s going to buy me a beer. I’ll be returning the favour.
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