Tales of an Amorphic Destiny

Jeff Martin – De Barra, Bandon

March 3rd, 2007 at 08:01pm James

On Saturday afternoon we arrived in Bandon, a small town just a few miles south-west of Cork. We’d been lucky enough to get a room at the beautiful Kilbrogan Guest House due to a late cancellation. Not only was Kilbrogan a beautiful and homely place to stay, it was also only 5 mins walk from De Barra – the pub where Jeff Martin would be playing later that evening.

After meeting Catherine, the owner of Kilbrogran, we caught up on a few hours sleep before heading down to De Barra to sample some fine Irish stout before the show. When we arrived it was hard to think that we’d soon be seeing the same guy who fronted The Tea Party, one of our favourite bands, in such an intimate venue. To say we were stoked to be there would be something of an understatement!

There were only a few patrons in the pub during sound checks and a warm up song. We had no idea how many people in Bandon knew of Jeff’s music, but Ireland is a country where live music reigns supreme and sure enough the tiny room slowly began to fill with people as we continued to enjoy Murphy’s, Beamish and of course, Guinness!

By the time the gig proper began the tiny pub was packed. With Jeff’s impressive collection of differently-tuned guitars and the drum rig of percussionist Wayne Sheehy, there was barely room for the musicians themselves on the tiny stage – a far cry from the huge venues The Tea Party were used to. Jeff later explained that this was part of the reason for his new musical direction – to regain this connection with his audience in a way which was no longer possible with a band as popular as The Tea Party had grown to be.

If connecting with his audience was Jeff’s intention then he more than achieved it that night in Bandon. Tea Party classics like Requiem and Sister Awake sounded amazing in their stripped-down form, Jeff’s trademark voice and guitar work dancing over Sheehy’s percussion to create a beautiful and utterly unique blend of folk, rock and eastern music. The old tunes sounded as exotic and haunting as ever and even though many in the crowd might not have heard Jeff’s music before, the hearty cheers and applause between songs showed that they were obviously impressed.

Some well-placed covers gave the crowd a chance to sing along in true Irish style. And sing along they did to an obligatory U2 track as well as a cover of  Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s "Love the One You’re With" – introduced as a song for "everyone having affairs here tonight". On a more somber note was "Hallelujah", dedicated to Jeff Buckley. A difficult song to do justice to but Jeff Martin is one of the few who can deliver on par with Buckley himself and that he did, garnering massive applause at the end.

Towards the end of the gig, "Black Snake Blues" from solo album "Exile and the Kingdom" had the entire pub heaving with energy. By this time plenty of stout and cider had been consumed and the raw energy of Jeff’s delivery of this epic blues track got the whole place clapping, singing, dancing and generally having one helluva great time. The set was rounded out with an awesome drum jam and judging from the crowd response I doubt there’ll be any problem filling De Barra with patrons the next time these guys are back in Bandon.

After the gig we got talking with Jeff while getting an album signed and it turned out that he was going to play some more at a local tapas bar. He invited us along and after coming so far for the De Barra gig we weren’t about to say no. We stuck around at the pub for another beer and met Jody – an Aussie girl who’d also come from London for the gig and also happened to be staying at Kilbrogan House. Pretty soon the 3 of us and a bunch of other people from the pub were walking across Bandon in the cold Irish night towards our next destination.

The tapas bar was an intimate little place on the other side of town. About 20 people ended up there drinking red wine and it wasn’t long before Jeff, ever the entertainer was reaching for his guitar. I mentioned in passing my love for all things heavy metal and within seconds I found myself trying to hold up my side of duet of Led Zepplin’s "Immigrant Song"! At the time I wasn’t sure which was cooler – hearing Jeff Martin do a Led Zepplin song or getting the chance to sing it with him!

We were treated to a few more covers as we enjoyed the wine and the ambiance, one of the highlights being Bowie’s "Ground Control to Major Tom". This classic sounded more melancholic than ever coming from Jeff, his voice completely filling the room even without amplification.

Again in true Irish style a few locals also took turns playing, some a little better than others. There was one local girl whose name we didn’t catch but she had the most amazingly deep and husky jazz/blues voice. She sang a little on her own and then the night culminated in her and Jeff  duetting an extended jam of Zeppelin’s "Whole Lotta Love". Outstanding.

Jeff and his Irish managers were also staying at Kilbrogan, so when things finished up at the bar we grabbed a couple of bottles of wine and we all made our way back. In Kilbrogan’s lounge room we were greeted by the glowing embers of a log fire and so settled in to the comfy chairs for a nightcap. A fitting end to a very memorable evening!

Jody was booked on the first flight to London the next day and had to get a taxi at some ridiculous hour, but when we got up on Sunday morning we were pleased to hear from Catherine that she’d made it ok. We were treated to a delicious and fortifiying full Irish breakfast prepared by Catherine’s brother David, then after a chat it was time to say goodbye and head north to our next stop – the coastal town of Kinsale!

Entry Filed under: Europe, Gigs