Jeff Martin @ Milk Bar
Friday, November 4, 2022
Canada’s The Tea Party were one of the great alternative rock bands of the 90s. Their eastern-influenced sound melded with rock guitar riffs, and their mystic lyrics, made them stand out against the tidal wave of grunge bands of that era. The integral component of The Tea Party’s sound is singer/guitarist and prominent songwriter, Jeff Martin, a powerhouse of baritone vocals and guitar wizardry. When he announced his departure from the band in 2005 it seemed like the dream had come to an end, but then in 2006 he released his first solo record, Exile and the Kingdom, and proved his story was not yet over and that he was only just beginning to spread his wings.
Martin seems to have a love affair with Australia, touring many times with the band back in the 90s, and after his departure, making it his home. For a period he was a local, living in WA’s South West before moving to Ireland for a spell, then to the beaches of Byron Bay, eventually settling on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
We had waited eagerly for the return of Martin and last week the wait was over. The Jeff Martin Australian Solo Tour kicked off at Mojos Bar on Thursday and tonight was Milk Bar’s turn. Martin came on stage smiling and welcoming the crowd as if he was welcoming you in his home, pleasantly greeting the adoring fans with smiles and sharing candid back and forth’s with excited hecklers.
The first set was made up of the songs from Exile and the Kingdom and he gave a detailed introduction about the history of the album before strumming into The Kingdom. Martin commanded the audience and they obliged every request to clap or sing along, the song ending with the whole crowd chanting back at him “The kingdom’s calling!”
Martin is a true entertainer and a master storyteller. Each song was introduced with an extensive back-story from the time it was written, where he was in his life, and facts around the creation of the songs, which gave beautiful insight into his mindset during the songwriting process and added extra layer of depth to the piece he was about to perform.
Every song was like taking a journey, starting with an extended guitar intro, onto the guts of the song, and then transforming into a cover or a medley of songs, before returning to crescendo with the original piece. We were treated to the beautiful numbers Lament, Stay Inside of Me and Angeldust. Martin was always interactive with the crowd, even throwing in a quick mid-song zinger or motioning with the lyric of the song, even jovially halting the crowd from applauding at the end of a song with “Hang on, I’m not done yet!” before finishing up with a tasty guitar lick outro.
An acoustic version of The Tea Party’s Bazaar was a highlight as was his inserted medley covers of Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah and Nine Inch Nail’s Hurt. Other favourites Coming Home, Messenger, Halycon Days, Sister Awake and Requiem were all woven into a beautiful tapestry of song.
This solo performance was more like An Evening with Jeff Martin as it felt like he was in your lounge room talking and playing straight to you. He addressed the crowd as if they were mates sitting around the bar or a campfire, regaling them with the stories behind the songs and the stories of his life.
Jeff Martin has still got the voice, the guitar mastery and the poetic persona, but it was also so great to see a playful side of the man that is often taken too seriously. Martin is always emanating that bravado and confidence he is known for, but he is also piss-funny, humble and gracious all at the same time.
Before departing the stage he hinted that The Tea Party would be touring in the not too distant future, so hopefully we won’t have to wait too long before the magic returns to our shores again.
ANTHONY JACKSON
