[Live Review] THE TEA PARTY (Newcastle)

Tea Party - 20

Newcastle Panthers
Monday October 20, 2014 :

Sarah Mcleod of The Superjesus never fails to command the attention of her crowd. With everyone’s focus on the stage, it’s a powerful moment to witness each of them singing the lyrics back to the band. ‘Secret Agent Man’ had an enthusiastic response from the crowd and they soaked up every moment. McLeod’s vocals on ‘Second Sun’ were immaculate and strong. As always ‘Gravity’ had the crowd pumping and singing along. ‘Shut My Eyes’ sounded incredible, as always they interacted with their crowd and had everyone ready for The Tea Party to take to the stage.

The audience was deafening as they welcomed The Tea Party. The crowd was so loud as they sang back the lyrics to ‘The Bazaar’, and it was clear to see that the members of the band were humbled by such a passionate audience. New track ‘Black Sea’ was great, and ‘Psycho Pomp’ lyrics really resonated with me; “A frozen sun, will guide you there, as shadows hide, the deep despair“. I was hypnotized watching the surging moment of the audience, the room was full and everyone’s eyes on the stage.

Throughout the whole set I loved the guitar technique, the drummer was mesmerising, and the light show was spot on. Stepping down a notch to acoustic guitar, ‘The Water’s On Fire’ really showcased the crisp clarity of Jeff Martin’s vocals. These vocals were also highlighted in new song ‘Ocean at the End’. The strength of the music created by The Tea Party is how you can feel the music, rather than just hearing or listening to it.

Creating a lot of noise for an encore, we were given an incredible ending to the show with ‘Sister Awake’. With the element of slide guitar, they rocked out with their crowd and left everyone’s hearts pumping and energized from a fantastic set.

Reviewer: Courtney Laura
Photographer: Ashlee Kellehear

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