As his band tuck themselves neatly into the band room of Fitzroy’s Old Bar on a drizzly Wednesday night, the extent of James Teague’s talent becomes immediately obvious.
Opening with the brooding ‘Misplaced Soul’, Teague’s incisive near-falsetto trips over the swaggering blues tune as the band meld together under red light and those watching fall completely silent.
Initially, the sparse audience is perplexing. James Teague has a shy kind of power that makes you wonder why people aren’t queuing out the door to see him – but when he mentions the three other shows he’s playing over the Easter weekend, it all makes sense.
Still, it feels pretty special to be standing in the Old Bar, sharing this with only a couple of dozen sweaty people.
Teague and his ensemble have driven here from Perth, in a car that he says has “seen its share of dirt.” They obviously work well in small spaces – with five members crowded onto the small stage there’s not a lot of room to swing a guitar, let alone a large ego.
Teague speaks briefly between songs and humbly thanks the crowd, and his gentle manner is all the more bemusing when you observe the control he holds over his performance.
Each arrangement is carefully polished, layered in ways that shows off complex instrumentation while still awarding pride of place to the singer’s fascinating vocals.
His style has been compared to Joanna Newsom (a similarity most evident in the adorable “Strange Birds”), but in a live setting the sharpness in his voice is diminished slightly – enough to make the sound more approachable, while still maintaining a point of difference.
Swinging from bluesy folk to through-and-through indie gems – “Grains of Sand” even has hand-claps – there is never a dull moment and, refreshingly, never any sense of repetition. Each song in the set is distinct, completely different to the last in sound and mood.
Watching Teague’s band members interact is one of the highlights; they’re a well-oiled machine, moving in time to the music and grinning at each other during more raucous tracks, like “Where Sorrow Is Forgotten (In the Great Divide)”.
It’s fun to watch and even moreimpressive when you see how comfortable they are with the music – they look to be absolutely loving it as they tear through a regrettably short 40-minute set.
There’s no doubt that James Teague is going to do well, especially if he keeps up the amazing live performances. He’s engaging, friendly and extremely talented, and is not afraid to care about his music, and to encourage others to do so too.
It’s a long drive from Perth, but he’ll be welcome back to Melbourne any time.
