The Tea Party's ongoing popularity in Australia is a double-edged sword it seems. On one hand, hordes of screaming fans flock to their intimate shows year in year out. On the other hand, the band seems to attract criticism in regard to their earnest (perhaps overly) delivery, and self-possessed songs and performances. Tonight however, The Tea Party were well and truly preaching to the converted, and wrangling in a few innocent passers-by in the process.
The crowd was impressively large, as were both the room and the sound system. Support band Lavish ended up looking a bit lost amongst the throng. Granted, they were not aided by the awfully muddy mix, but even so the songs never really captured the crowds’ attention. The sound was all cymbals and booming backing-tape, with vocals and instrumental textures missing-in-action. Lavish were not bad, just not particularly memorable. Perhaps it was an off night for the band. As it goes, soon the band was off.
In contrast to the poor sound quality of Lavish, The Tea Party arrived with an awesome bang to the tune of Army Ants from their “Transmission” album. The huge guitar riff, which opens the song, sets the tone for much of the evening. Gigantic walls of sound were the order of the night. The band then proceeded to play a widely varied mix of songs from all four of their major-label back-catalogue. While the heavier songs were definitely dominant, some truly beautiful and sublime moments were delivered in the form of Release (with an almost Pink Floydian guitar solo outro), Psychopomp (which blends the two styles in awesome style) and Save Me. In fact the latter song provided one of the shows many highlights, with a segue into Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah (or “that Jeff Buckley song” as it has become known).
One of The Tea Party's finest qualities is their ability to mix delicate world music with their more accessible rock formula. Front-man Jeff Martin produced the much under-utilised Middle Eastern instruments the Oud and the Sarode, and gave beautiful renditions of Inana, Halcyon Days, and even a snippet of the Oud song Hella Liesa.
Unlike previous Tea Party gigs though, this element was only explored briefly, with the focus being clearly put on the rockier elements of their sound. The electronic flavours of “Transmission” were also only displayed in passing this time around. Whereas on the last tour Stuart Chatwood leaned heavily on his array of keyboards, this time around he spent almost equal time on the bass.
What strikes most about The Tea Party is what an amazing live ensemble these three musicians make. They have obviously been playing together so long now that the chemistry is something that doesn't need to be questioned, let alone tampered with. For a band with only three members, they do a very passable impression of huge, orchestral music. Individually, Jeff Burrows' drumming has never been more solid, Stuart's keyboard is getting more subtle and Jeff Martin's guitar work and vocals really put him in the "not quite of this world" category.
The show ended with a quiet version of Daniel Lanois' The Messenger and the now traditional instrumental Winter Solstice leading into the gigantic rush which is Sister Awake. This provided the most memorable moments of the evening, with segues into New Order's Temptation, Bowie's Heroes, and the bands own song Pulse, before ending with a massive flourish.
The Tea Party know both how to impress and to entertain. They mix skilful musicianship and beautifully varied textures to provide what is ultimately a very satisfying and complete musical experience. The music may be earnest and self-possessed, but if you can forgive a little pompousness The Tea Party prove to be a very rare live musical treat.