It’s hardly a massive revelation to say that it’s a relief that Bobby Flynn didn’t take the cake in Australian Idol. Not only would he have been completely ill-marketed, but his extraordinary writing abilities would have been swept under the rug. Riding on a high after supporting Toni Childs earlier this year, Bobby Flynn’s debut ‘Out Front’ is an honestly raw yet promising album. His uniqueness is both bizarre and beautiful.

I’m not one to plug a venue but I have lived in Cronulla for almost 2 years now, and I have to admit I have never once ventured below and into the depths of the Brass Monkey. This is seriously a hidden treasure.

A quaint little room which would probably hold no more than 100 people (and that’s pushing it), the Brass Monkey is a gorgeous, dirty, beautiful space. It’s home to a few tables and chairs where you can order some dinner by candlelight, a little bar, and a dark stage backed with a sheet and a few lights. It has the feel of a drug-dealers den as well as the shyness of a sultry jazz club. It’s unreal.

Upon entering the Brass Monkey, the United Kingdom’s Sophie Hanlon graced the stage, finishing up her set with ‘I’m Feeling Good’, a cover of the svelte jazz ballad by Nina Simone.

No sooner had Sophie left the stage, had Bobby Flynn swayed on in complete silence. It actually took me a while to realise it was him, as he no longer sports his identifiable ginger curly mass, but instead a neat quaff, housed by an ‘old man winter’ hat.

Draped in a navy and purple flannelette shirt and just his guitar, Flynn opened his set with his first single and eerie cover of The Church’s ‘Under The Milky Way’, followed by his own number, ‘Any Means’, written about a girl he lived with in Montreal who had a dream and changed her mind.

He cut out his heart and left it on the table with ‘Fly Me Away’, a song he wrote about his lover after Idol landed him in Ebor Falls, delivering a much-needed break from the world. It was here that most of his songs were written.

It was after ‘The Boy Had Trouble’, one of Flynn’s more well-known songs, that he gave us a little insight into his life at present. Recently moved to Melbourne, it isn’t the cold or upcoming gigs that have his heart racing, it’s the new, beautiful addition to his family – his baby girl Indigo. With plenty of discussion about life events and feelings, it was the sound of Indigo’s name that put a sparkle in his eye. And when questioned about the meaning of her name – ‘It’s just a really special name’.

‘The city is so windy baby, I always lose my head’ – one of the simple and honest lines in his mini-biography about his life in Melbourne. This song contains a lot of falsetto, which I was actually surprised to see Bobby pull off without a glitch.

His tune ‘Superfreak’ intertwined lyrics with a sexy, sultry riff, calling upon the help of the audience to be able to fulfil the song’s true capacity.

Before a short break, Flynn begged for some freedom, in his well-written, emotional track ‘Come Get Away’. His quest for love and acceptance shone through to the exterior, with his eyes revealing a little more depth.

Just as he was about to enter the second, and noticeably shorter half of his set, Flynn lost sound. Whilst he was waiting for the sound guys to fix it up, he ventured over to my corner and crouched down to say hi. I don’t know whether he was genuinely interested in how amazing the weather in Sydney has been or if he was a little suspicious of me in my spectacles with my blue biro hiding behind my handbag. Whichever it was, he seems like a pretty personable, friendly guy.

Forever happy to share his stories and open his heart, Flynn told a tale about a monument down the road from his mother’s house, honouring all those men and women that went to war. It was the last line on this monument that would title his next song ‘Two Paths of Peace’, powerfully merging it into the classic ‘When The War is Over’, pushing forth all the pain and discomfort to the heart that that song brings. The crowd jumped in with the chorus, which I can only explain as an intimately beautiful, mesmerising and painful harmony – “Aint nobody gonna steal this heart away’.

His last song, ‘Kylie’, had a real Bob Evans feel to it. The use of his guitar skills were amplified by some simple folk whistling, accompanied by a great little beat - a real song the audience could just enjoy.

I really enjoyed this unique, bare-hearted performance. The only negative thing I could really say is that to begin with, he lacked the presence I was expecting. He didn’t have the same charisma he did when I saw him on TV, wearing his infamous blue painted superhero mask. But, like most ex-Idol folk, he still has the dream. His performance unveiled a simple guy who, just like everyone else, wants to be free, loved and share his gift with the world. Just like he sang ‘Use your talents, they may not always be at your disposal’ – good to see he’s practicing what he preaches.