Photography: Hieu Nguyen – Words: Ken Magno
My first memory of Montell Fish was the same way I discover most artists that have become quite constant staples in my recent most-played lists. A chance encounter with a song that comes on in my recommended tracks, just to scroll back through hours of music and find that one specific song that stuck in my head. The song of question? “Fall in Love with You.” A song with a simple yet powerful message that seemed to strike a chord during the late hours of the night. That song would go on to become a mainstay in my daily rotation, during late night dnm’s over the phone, long drives up and down the highway and during any time my friends and I would go band for band in what our ultimate ‘yearning’ track is.
Jump forward a couple years, on a cold and windy night in May, and Montell Fish was set to play the final few of his internationally sold out “the Dream Deer Tour”, following the release of his 2024 album “Charlotte”. Driving into the venue, the sun was setting over an overcast Sydney as the dimly lit lights of the Enmore Theatre battled with the violent blues and greys of the sunset; a night that matched the energy of the enigmatic singer perfectly. Setting the scene for Fish was DJ / producer Exxy, a young up and coming artist who set a scene of intimacy rather than the usual upbeats of most opening acts at shows. His set complimented Fish’s music perfectly, a feeling of ambience in his sound that most would recognise as the feeling of listening in on the party music playing through the walls of the bathroom you’ve found yourself in – a melancholic feeling of euphoria as you sit back and rethink the decisions that led you to the moment you’ve found yourself in.
As Montell made his highly anticipated entrance, his silhouette was only highlighted by a mix of strobe lighting and a dimly lit back curtain, adding to the mystery and complexity of his character. Flashes of lights and quick glimpses of the Pittsburgh-based singer-songwriter, the pain and anguish in his voice and words hitting at the heart as if they’re lingering memories of past mistakes that you can’t quite let go of. Montell Fish had created a haunting scene over the historic venue, something more reminiscent of a painting from the romantic period filled with emotion and longing, his words being his paintbrush that carefully curates the artwork of emotion that was on display at his show.
Songs like “Every Night” and “Same Sh*t” had lit a fire in the audience, the chorus of the Every Night feeling more like a hypnotic chant as the audience relentlessly screamed “The drugs, the sex the lights / I think I want it all, like every night” with the heavy drums and distorted guitar adding a layer of harshness that contrasts his usual soft, alternative-pop style.
Though throughout the set, Montell’s duality behind his songwriting really shone as he led the crowd through a more personal story. Taking a trip back to his early release of “Jamie”, Fish walked us through a story that may seem like another soft RNB ballad about the hopelessness of falling in love with someone just out of your reach, though actually paints a story of a man struggling with is relationship with God. Montell’s early days having freshly moved to New York as a young artist looking to find community while trying to uphold his Christian roots sparkled through a beautiful play through of his hit song “Talk2Me”, his guitar acting as an extension of his voice rather than an accompaniment.
After dancing around the keys of his piano to “What ‘s it Take to be a Star”, Montell Fish made his goodbye’s by playing his infamous ballad “Fall in Love with You.” (giving the younger me chills) before bowing out to a thunderous rendition of “Hotel” and “Bathroom” back-to-back, adding a heavily distorted guitar solo to the end of “Hotel” that seemed to transcend the space between the audience and the artist and elevate the night to a whole other level.
Montell Fish creates music for the dreamers, for the lost, for the lovers – he creates music that is real and relatable, leaving a piece of his heart on the stage with every soul piercing note, creating a show that was nothing short of a night to remember for decades. The Dream Deer Tour ends with the final show of the international tour at the Enmore Theatre on Wednesday the 14th of March, followed by an afterparty at the Lansdowne Hotel in Sydney hosted by Montell Fish’s alter ego DJ Gummy Bear.
