As this writer sat with The Tea Party in one of Sydney's swankier hotels ahead of their first Australian tour in seven years, it was obvious that though they weren't glossing over the things that had torn the band apart, they were once again the Canadian comrades in arms responsible for such an iconic body of work. That impression was borne out in spades when they finally hit the stage in July.

“It was a monster,” Tea Party main man Jeff Martin admits of the reunion tour. He's taking a break from rehearsing, not only for his extensive forthcoming solo tour but also the band he's put together for young Townsville artist Kimberley Dawn Lysons, whose debut album he's spent a year recording and producing. It's as yet unreleased but has already scored her a feature artist spot at this year's Woodford Folk Festival. “[The reunion shows]  exceeded our expectations and I think for most of the fans it did as well, you know?

“I mean in all the years that I've played in The Tea Party and all the great, legendary shows that we've done and all that, the band's never been this good. I think the time apart did us the world of good and coming back together, it's even more potent now. And we've finally recorded a live double album, after all these years.”

They had released a five-track EP, Live At The Enmore Theatre, recorded back in October 1999, though it was literally just 100 copies released by triple j, the trio augmented by a string quintet.

“I wasn't very pleased with the quality of the EP in '99, so this is the real deal; it's the raw power of the band, and what's even more exciting is the DVD that's coming out because the footage is incredible from the Hordern Pavilion, and the sound – I mixed it with my engineer, Paul [Pilsneniks], we did it in 5.1 surround sound – and it's epic. It's really something to hear.”

Australia 2012: The Live Double Album was released in September utilising the Pledge Music website, a fan-driven affair. A portion of the proceeds raised over and above the recording budget was donated to the cancer research fund established in the name of Tea Party manager Steve Hoffman, who lost his battle with cancer aged just 37.

“We weren't ready yet to deal with any record companies per se,” Martin explains of the decision to release independently. “We were still feeling out our intensions and all that stuff, what's going to go on and everything, so to get a commitment from a record company we're a bit shy about. So this was one way of doing it so we didn't have to sleep with the devil and the fans could get to feel like they're investing in their favourite band, you know?

“And again, that far exceeded our expectations. I mean, I won't say the figure that was raised but it was large, and it's great because we're basically just gonna give it all back to the fans one way or another, with more tours. I'll make the next Tea Party record in January. So it's just been wonderful to get back with my two old friends and for us to put the past behind us and make great music again.”

And that's essentially what has prompted Martin to pull his six favourite guitars out and get match-fit for a solo tour of Australia that will see him through to Christmas and that Woodford date with Kimberley Dawn Lysons.

“From The Tea Party tour, there were a lot of new faces – well, thousands and thousands of faces,” he laughs, “I noticed that there was a new crowd with The Tea Party, as well as all the old fans that haven't lapsed. So with these new fans and everything, you know, there's an interest in them seeing, sort of, where the big Tea Party sound, where does it come from and its origins, and basically a lot of those songs I just started with my voice and an acoustic guitar.

“The thing about the songs is that, even solo, they stand up. There's a power in them that's almost holistic in a way, you know? You can keep distilling it and distilling it and distilling it down to the campfire test and it's still going to come across. And just because I know The Tea Party – I call it 'The Monster' – The Monster is going to take over my life again in the New Year, this is one last chance to go to all my favourite little venues that I've got to know so well and do one last solo thing, before it can't be done for quite some time.

“So I'm really looking forward to seeing some old friends, and the intimacy of the shows, because The Tea Party is the big spectacle, and I love it, you know, I love the crowd psychology of that, but I do love the intimacy of the small show, so, one last hurrah. And there'll be songs from The Armada, from 777 and my solo album, [2006's] Exile And The Kingdom, so it's gonna be quite an extensive set, that's for sure, but it's got [to be] 'cause I can change it up every night because there's a catalogue of so many songs.”

And there may also be a live solo album recorded somewhere along the way, to sit beside his double album, Live in Brisbane 2006; 2007's Live In Dublin; 2008's Live At The Corner Hotel; and even the 2007 DVD, Live At The Enmore Theatre, he recorded with the Toronto Tabla Ensemble.

“I haven't really thought that far ahead,” Martin admits with a chuckle. “My guitar tech, even as we speak, is disassembling my studio so we can put together my pedal board and all that stuff and get all the acoustic guitars ready to fire up, you know? So I haven't thought about a recording yet, but a lot of the venues that I'm playing are set up for that so it can be captured on any given night. So we'll see if something comes out of it – magic moments. One man, six guitars? That sounds about right.”