There's a requisite amount of interest that surrounds any gig involving The Tea Party's Jeff Martin; aside from a sense-assaulting vocal performance, shows are usually peppered with cynical wit and Martin's penchant for using the open mic as a live therapy session. Those demons of the glory days he seems to carry with him into his new reincarnations, and like it or love it, they provide for memorable shows.
But before he and his lady partner emerge, Byron Bay duo The Firetree fill the small stage with their bohemian presence. Dale and Josie evoke a sound of yesteryear folk, dotted with rock and bluegrass. New single Star Dreamer and a cover of Pearl Jam's Given To Fly open the evening up to a harmonious start, and with their raw talent simply shining on their respective rhythm and acoustic guitar they leave a grateful audience in their wake.
The always entertaining and likeably brash Sarah McLeod from The Superjesus recently took up the chance to share the stage with Martin ahead of a collaborative album release. A thoughtful match-up, especially when McLeod emerges onstage to Bobby Darin's Beyond The Sea, clicking fingers and tapping toes. But as her latest EP is an exploration of her penchant for Motown, it seems that's what we're in for. After getting saucy in early track In The Mood, there are two reasons why it wouldn't matter what McLeod did with her stage time tonight: a) her minx-to-vixen vocal is equally as breathy and brassy as ever, and b) she's a fucking riot. Between dragging a fan onstage to do “the worst tambourine playing” yet for Scout's Honour, to ribbing Martin's exasperated temperament, she's in serious danger of stealing the entire show. Sides are sore when she closes with He Doesn't Love You.
When she returns it's with Jeff Martin in tow. The playful jabs start up immediately between the two, McLeod firing quips at Martin's sinking shoulders about, among other things, the lemon stuck in his beard. But musically it's clear there's a chemistry they're tapping into. The tour's namesake is in the form of dark single Man The Life Boats, a moody sea shanty rollick, followed by an intriguing set of a Coldplay mash-up of Fix You and INXS's Never Tear Us Apart. With Martin's rumbling tenor and McLeod's brusque wail, magic can't help but unfold, underpinned by the dense thump of both acoustics. When a solo Martin emerges after to play a few Tea Party tunes like The Bazaar and Requiem, there's a noticeable shift in energy. As epically talented, enigmatic and humane as Martin is, that earlier dose of McLeod is what most will take home tonight.